The Prince of Kalos
by Blitzing02
Summary: Ash starts his journey in the Kalos region but this time, something is different. Ash grew up and decided to use all of his Pokemon he caught and not only the ones he would be catching in Kalos. This leads to him being calmer and smarter.
1. The Prince of Kalos

**_The Prince Of Kalos_**

* * *

**_Speeches :_**

"A" – Normal Human Speech

'A' - Thoughts

* * *

An airplane started to descend its way to the land as a certain raven-haired young man gazed at the region of Kalos that seemed to be fast approaching. The young trainer named Ash Ketchum couldn't wait to land in Kalos as he saw various Pokemon that were unknown to him, flying through the beautiful skies.

Sitting on his lap, a yellow rodent too seemed to be equally ecstatic as it watched the new region through the window.

When Ash had heard about the Kalos region from Alexa, he'd made up his mind that the Kalos League would be the next Pokemon League he would challenge. As their destination neared, Ash's excitement began to surge. He couldn't wait to set foot on Kalos and meet all the new Pokemon that could only be found in this part of the world.

The enthusiasm of reaching a new region to continue his Pokemon journey was not something new to Ash, but this time there was something different. The difference was that instead of starting the journey with only Pikachu, he decided to take along some of his other Pokemon as well. Ash looked down at the Pokeball belt tied to his waist and thought about how he'd been foolish enough not to take his Pokemon along whenever he visited a new region.

He never took any one of his Pokemon except for Pikachu to his journeys in Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova. So why did he decide to change his tactics now? What made him realize his mistake?

The answer came when a brown haired woman sitting next to Ash turned to face him. "Are you excited to start a new journey in Kalos, Ash?" Alexa questioned our hero.

Ash looked at the Pokemon journalist with a huge grin on his face. It was thanks to Alexa that Ash's eyes had opened. "Of course, I am Alexa. I am totally psyched!"

When they'd returned to Pallet town, Ash had taken Alexa with him when he went to Professor Oak's lab to visit all his Pokemon. Seeing the amount of pokemon Ash owned, she was surprised to say the least. And not only that, each one of his Pokemon appeared to be in top shape. It was then that Alexa asked Ash the question that the raven-haired trainer should've asked himself a long time ago – Why didn't he use the Pokemon he'd previously caught? Did all of his Pokemon other than Pikachu mean so less to him that he would just abandon them whenever he left to travel through a new region?

Ash gave Alexa's statement a thought and he was shocked when he realized that what Alexa said was true. Every time he heard of a new region and made up his mind to travel through it, he just forgot about the Pokemon that he'd previously caught. It was as if he didn't care for them. But that wasn't true and Ash knew that. He loved all his Pokemon with all his heart. They were his best friends with whom he'd gone through everything together. At that moment, Ash decided to ask his Pokemon what they thought about it. And when he did, his fears came true. They all agreed that they would be much happier if Ash took them with him. Ash realized that he had done a huge mistake. He apologized to each one of his Pokemon and promised them that from now on, he wouldn't just leave them behind. He also thought back to why he lost to a twit like Cameron in the Unova League. The answer was simple : his Pokemon weren't prepared enough. They didn't enough time to train. But if he would have used his previously caught Pokemon, he was sure that he would have defeated every trainer in the Unova League with here he was in the Kalos region with 3 more Pokemon than usual.

Just then, the air hostess came inside. "We have now reached the Kalos region. You can release your seatbelts. Thank you for flying with us."

* * *

The fifteen year old Ash Ketchum stood on the airstair, looking around the airport as he took in the beautiful scenery of the Kalos region. The moment he'd been waiting for from the time he met Alexa was finally here. He adjusted his hat, just as Pikachu ran and jumped up on his shoulder from behind.

"Look out people!" he yelled cheerfully. "Ash from Pallet Town is here to win the Kalos League!"

"Pikachuuu!" cheered Pikachu from atop Ash's shoulder.

Pikachu was not just happy because they'd reached a new region, but also because some of his friends were now accompanying him and Ash in this journey. Each time they'd arrive at a new region, the electric mouse used to miss his old friends. But this time, it would be different.

Simpering at Ash's enthusiastic arrival, Alexa approached the trainer from behind, chuckling at his friend's reaction to her native region. She knew how much Ash loved Pokemon and battling alongside them.

Suddenly, a pink avian Pokemon with a white beak hovered in front of Ash. It flew right over Ash's head. The trainer watched the Pokemon fly as he ran down the steps chasing after it. It didn't take him long to recognize the Pokemon as Spritzee because this time around, Ash had studied a lot about the Kalos region and its native Pokemon. He was not as clueless as he previously would be when arriving in a new region.

* * *

Ash now stood in the mall, patiently waiting for Alexa to finish her call. When Ash heard that Alexa's sister's Gym is not in Lumiose City but in Santalune City instead, he felt really disappointed. He wanted to start battling in Kalos as soon as possible but in his years as a trainer, he'd grown from a being an impatient little brat to a calm and intelligent young man. He could control his urge to win his first badge for a while.

"Hey Ash!" came Alexa's voice. She walked towards the teen with a grin across her face. "My sister's at the Gym and you can challenge her whenever you like."

Hearing this pumped Ash up. He would be able to get his first Gym badge as soon as he reached Santalune, which wasn't too far from Lumiose City. "That's great!" he exclaimed. "But I have to give Professor Sycamore a visit first. Professor Oak told me that he'd provide me the Kalos region Pokedex." He beamed at the journalist. "Thank you for escorting me here Alexa. It's been great."

Alexa came forward and offered Ash her hand. "No. Thank you, Ash. It's been a great journey with you through the Decolore Islands."

Ash stared at the woman and shook her offered hand. "See you later, Alexa! Turning left, Ash started running along the streets as he began his new adventure in the Kalos region.

"See you!"

Alexa waved her hand at the disappearing sight of the young boy. It'd been great to travel with Ash and she thoroughly enjoyed her time. Not to mention the amazing documentary she made on all of Ash's Pokemon as well as the ones that they encountered on their way to Kanto.

* * *

In Lumiose City, a honey-haired girl with blue eyes strolled along the road, humming in her beautiful voice with joy evident in in her tone as well as her facial expression. She wore a black sleeveless top and short, pink skirt and a pink hat. She appeared to be happy and she had every reason for it. She would be starting her new journey on this day and she was all pumped up to get her first Pokemon and chase after her dream.

After walking for another few minutes, the girl looked at the building in front of her as a smile made its way to her features. She had been waiting to pick up her first Pokemon from the moment she saw Aria, the current Kalos Queen perform on television.

The beginning trainer briskly made her way to the door of the building as she rang the doorbell once and waited for someone to open the door. After a few moments, the double door opened and Serena was greeted by a young woman wearing a white lab coat.

"How may I help you?" The woman asked in a sweet tone.

"I have to get my Pokemon from Professor Sycamore." Serena replied as she quickly removed a card from her pocket and offered it to the woman. The lab assistant took the card and reading it, she flashed a smile at Serena.

"So, you're a new trainer. Come in. I'll take you to the Professor." She started walking in the lab as she gestured for Serena to follow, who did just that. On the way, Serena noticed many different sorts of machines. Some of them were empty while others had different kinds of Pokemon resting in them.

After a few more steps, the two girls reached a door as the lab assistant pushed a button and the door began to open.

"Professor Sycamore!" She called. "There's a new trainer here."

The said person having black messy hair turned around grinned when he saw the sight of the young girl. He was informed by Serena's mother, Grace that her daughter would be picking up her first Pokemon from him soon. He walked over to the girl and spoke.

"Hello Serena! I have been expecting you. So are you ready to choose your first Pokemon?"

"Hello Professor." Serena greeted the Pokemon Professor with a bright smile. "Yes. I even know which Pokemon I am going to choose."

Soon, Professor Sycamore opened a suitcase placed at the table. He opened it revealing three shining Pokeballs, which made Serena curiously stare at the Pokeball. Picking up the Pokeballs from the case, Sycamore snapped them open. In a bright flash of light, three cute little Pokemon materialized on the floor.

On the left stood a quadruped, fox-like Pokemon with pale yellow fur and tufts of dark orange fur covering the insides of its long ears. In the middle was a bipedal Pokemon having light brown front with dark brown arms and three triangular markings on its face. The last Pokemon on the left was a frog-like creature having light blue skin, white hands, and a dark blue stripe from the center of its oval head to its nose.

The three Kalos starter cried their respective names making Serena squeal at their cuteness. She bent down and observed the adorable Pokemon with twinkle in her eyes. Professor Sycamore and his assistant Sophie chuckled at Serena's behaviour.

Sycamore removed a pink Pokedex from his pocket and offered it to the young girl. "You should probably check those Pokemon in this Pokedex before you make your decision." He suggested. "You can scan get information about a Pokemon if you point your Pokedex at it."

"I have heard of those. Thanks Professor."

Serena accepted the Pokedex from Professor Sycamore and started observing the advanced machine. After taking in all the features of the Pokedex, she got down to the three Pokemon's level and pointed it to the fox Pokemon. Instantly, the Pokedex began to speak in its mechanical, feminine voice.

"**Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. Fennekin expels hot air that can reach nearly 400 degrees. It likes to snack on twigs."**

"Amazing" Serena complimented the Fennekin, who expelled a few flames from her nose. She then turned the Pokedex to the Pokemon in the middle as it again spoke.

"**Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon. Chespin can flex the soft spikes on its head, making them so stiff and sharp that it can even pierce through stone."**

The Chespin danced around in an attempt to impress the trainer. Every starter Pokemon wanted to be picked by a trainer and this Chespin was no exception. Finally, Serena moved her Pokedex to the frog Pokemon as the Pokedex gave information for the last time.

"**Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. From its chest and back, Froakie creates bubbles called Frubbles, which act as a cushion and soften the blow of an opponent's attack."**

"So, which Pokemon do you want?" asked Professor Sycamore.

Serena moved to the Fennekin on the floor and started petting it. Serena had made up her mind about picking a Fennekin when she saw Aria's Braixen in her Pokemon performance. Aria and her Braixen were Serena's idol and so the choice for her first Pokemon became simple.

"I pick Fennekin, Professor." The fourteen year old girl answered. She picked up Fennekin in her arms which caused the Fire-Type to shriek in joy.

"Fennekin!" cried the little fox Pokemon. It appeared to be very delighted by its new trainer and why wouldn't it be.

The Spiny Nut Pokemon, Chespin didn't seem to be too happy with the girl's decision. But before it could show its displeasure, it was soon called back by Professor Sycamore along with Froakie.

Suddenly, there was a ring at the doorbell of the Research Lab. The three humans along with Fennekin walked out of the room and into the main hall in order to see who the visitor was. Professor Sycamore opened the double door and came face to face with a boy with black hair and a Pikachu resting on his shoulder.

"How can I help you?" The Professor questioned the unknown visitor.

"I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." Ash replied. "Professor Oak told me to see you so that I could get a new Pokedex."

While the Professor might have not recognized Ash but someone present in the lab sure did. 'Could it really be him?' she pondered. Serena recognized Ash from the Kanto summer camp that she'd attended when she was much younger. And she surely didn't forget the incident that happened with them. The girl was injured in the summer camp by a little Poliwag when her saviour, Ash came to rescue her. Serena blushed at the memory but she decided to ask Ash if he remembered her later.

Now, Professor Sycamore recognized who the trainer was. Professor Oak had indeed told the Kalos Professor that Ash would be arriving there to get a regional Pokedex for Kalos.

"Yes, he sure did. Come on in, Ash." The Professor made way for Ash to enter as both of them walked inside. Ash noted the new Pokemon that were inside the research mechanism of the lab. Ash just couldn't wait to catch and battle all the new Pokemon found in Kalos.

"Professor Oak speaks very highly of you Ash. You must indeed be a great trainer to earn his respect." complimented the Pokemon Researcher.

Hearing him, Ash just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. The young trainer might have matured but there were some traits that he still retained and rubbing his head when embarrassed was one of them.

* * *

Suddenly, there was a frantic roar coming from the backyard of the lab. Professor Sycamore knew what it was as he ran off towards the door to the field, followed by Sophie. Hearing the roar and watching the Professor run like that, Ash realized that whatever it was, it was trouble. He too dashed in the direction the other two had gone and was followed by Serena and her Fennekin.

"Oh no!" The middle-aged Professor yelled in terror. "Garchomp, calm down."

"What's happening to Garchomp?" Ash asked.

Without any warning, the enraged Garchomp fired a Hyper Beam towards some of the Pokemon on the field. The Pokemon barely managed to survive by getting out of the way. The Mach Pokemon didn't mean to harm anyone but something must have caused it to get this angry.

Serena finally catching up to everyone else noticed something on the Garchomp. "Hey, what's that?" she asked pointing towards the Garchomp's neck.

The others followed her gaze and found out the reason why Garchomp had been acting this way. There appeared to be a strangle belt on Garchomp which glowed red. Again, the Garchomp released a powerful, blue beam of energy from its mouth. The Hyper Beam headed straight for Serena who just froze at the sight. Garchomp's attack got closer but before it could hit the beginning trainer, Ash sprinted towards Serena threw himself at her, barely managing to save the girl from certain death. The only thing was that they ended up in an awkward position causing Serena's cheeks to go deep red. Ash on the other hand was just too busy watching the Garchomp to realize anything.

Quickly getting back up to its feet, Ash removed two Pokeballs from his belt and enlarged them.

"Gabite, Snivy. Let's go!" He screamed throwing the Pokeballs in the air. The balls opened in mid-air as The Cave and the Grass Snake Pokemon stood on the field, ready to battle.

When Ash came back from his journey to Unova, he'd been quite surprised to find that his Gible had actually evolved into Gabite when he was away. A pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

"Gabiite!" Ash's Dragon-Type from Sinnoh roared, unafraid of his fully evolved opponent.

"Snivy Sni!" cried Snivy with a dangerous look on her face. She wouldn't let anyone hurt her trainer until she stood alive.

"We need to get that off of Garchomp!" Ash yelled with a hint of distraught in his tone. "Gabite, use Dragon Pulse and Snivy use Leaf blade to break the belt on Garchomp."

Meanwhile, the Garchomp just charged at random. It seemed like it had no control over itself whatsoever.

Gabite formed an orb of draconic energy in his mouth while Snivy's tail glowed as it turned into a sharp blade. Gabite jumped in the air and threw his Dragon Pulse at the Garchomp , who kept on moving unusually around the field. Snivy on the other hand dashed at her moving target bringing her sharp tail forward. Both the attacks eventually struck the Mach Pokemon but the belt still held strong. Ash's Pokemon stared at it in surprise. They were only able to crack the belt. And it seemed like Garchomp was enraged even more by this assault.

The Sinnoh native dragon leapt into the sky and took off with no particular destination in mind. Professor Sycamore could sense the danger posed if Garchomp were to go wild in the middle of the city. He didn't even want to imagine what kind of destruction it could cause.

"We need to stop it. It would be a disaster if it ran loose like that!" Sycamore exclaimed frantically, following his dragon.

"Let's go guys." Ash grunted. He ran in the direction in which Garchomp went as his Pokemon followed suite.

Serena finally got up from her fall and followed the ten. "Wait Ash!"

* * *

The raging Garchomp now stood atop the tallest tower in Lumiose City, The Prism Tower. It looked as if it still couldn't control itself. It had already caused havoc in the city by crashing into several vehicles, buldings and stores along the way. More and more people appeared to be gathering around Prism Tower, watching the Pokemon on top of it. Several reporters shot the scene live from helicopters.

Ash, Professor Sycamore and Serena finally managed to catch up to Garchomp. They gasped as they saw it on the top of one of Lumiose's tallest towers, running wild in agony. It seemed as if it could fall at any moment.

"This is a disaster!" Professor Sycamore screamed as he saw his Pokemon on top of the tower.

Just then, Officer Jenny came running towards the researcher. "Does this Garchomp belong to you Professor?"

The Professor nodded his head. "Yes, Jenny. I am sorry for the trouble."

"I see. We need to get it down." She said observing the Pokemon atop the tower who just fired a Hyper Beam towards the City.

* * *

Unbeknownst to anyone but Serena, Ash and his Pokemon rushed towards the entrance to the tower. Only Serena noticed him enter and obviously followed him. As soon as Ash felt Serena's presence, he turned around and glared at her.

"Why are you coming with me?" The raven-haired teen snapped at honey-haired girl.

Serena seemed to be shocked by the unusual chill in Ash's tone. Of what she remembered of him, he was the kindest guy she'd ever met. Was it possible that Ash had changed over the years?

Brushing those thoughts aside, Serena shouted defensively. "I can't let you go there all alone!" She closed her eyes and kept her palms in front of her.

"But…. It's dangerous." Replied Ash, much calmly this time. He gave an apologetic smile to Serena who knew the reason for it.

"But I don't want to leave you alone!" As Serena said this, Ash could read the worry in her eyes. He didn't reply. He just flashed her a small smile and quickly started climbing the steps.

Someone hidden in the shadows watched the scene very intently.

"Froa kiee."

Ash, Serena and the Pokemon finally managed to find a way to Garchomp after struggling a bit. They now stood on the same level as the Sinnoh dragon.

"Hey. Those kids are up there." Someone in the crowd noticed the duo of humans, getting everyone's attention. They all gasped watching the sight of the two trainers and their Pokemon on top of Prism Tower.

"Ash, Serena!" The Kalos Professor screamed in horror as he watched the two get closer and closer to Garchomp.

Garchomp though, still continued its rampage. Ash carefuly walked a little closer to the Pokemon and spoke. "Snivy, use Vine Whip to hold Garchomp at one spot and Pikachu destroy the belt with Iron Tail when its standing still."

Snivy quickly fired vines from her neck in an attempt to hold Garchomp so that Pikachu could break the belt which was causing all the trouble. Snivy's attempt failed the first time as the Mach Pokemon slashed her vines with the fins on its arms. But the second time around, Snivy managed to get the job done. Precisely at that moment, Pikachu jumped in the air. Dashing forward with his glowing tail, he struck the belt on Garchomp right in the middle causing the red lights to fade. The belt broke down into pieces as Garchomp fell to its knees, panting and finally calming down.

"Good job you guys." Ash complimented his Pokemon who cried out in victory.

Everyone standing by the tower sighed in relief. But suddenly, Ash heard a scream from behind. He frantically turned around to see the floor beneath Serena collapse and she started to fall off the tower.

Ash thought quickly and gave a command. "Snivy, use your vines to get Serena!"

As quickly as she could, the Grass Snake Pokemon from Unova shot her vines towards the falling Serena and to everyone's relief, caught the girl. But just as Snivy started pulling Serena up, the floor she stood on collapsed as she fell down at speed.

Without another thought, Ash jumped from the tower in order to catch Snivy shocking everyone. He managed to get hold of both Snivy and Serena, who buried their faces in his chest as the trainer from Kanto braced himself for the rough landing. Sycamore froze at the sight of the Pokemon trainers.

On top of the tower, Pikachu cried out to his trainer. Gabite standing next to him though, just couldn't bare to see his trainer go down like that. What was his use to his trainer if he couldn't help him at a time like this? With that in mind, the Cave Pokemon flashed brightly as he started to glow.

"Gabbbb!" he shouted loudly as his body glowed brightly.

Soon, Gabite's body began to change shape. His body started to grow as his tail, fins and head all grew larger. Even before the light faded away, the Dragon-Type Pokemon dashed down towards his trainer at ultra high speed. It didn't even take him a moment to get to his trainer as he caught Ash along with the others before landing gracefully on the ground.

"Garrrrr!" Ash's newly evolved Garchomp roared victoriously, his trainer still in his arms.

Someone running towards the scene watched the entire event unfold. 'He might be the one I have been searching for.' The unknown person thought as he gazed at the pure silver Pokemon egg in his hand.

People began to gather around the two trainers who'd just escaped certain death. Meanwhile, Officer Jenny made her way up to the tower with other officers in order to get Garchomp down. . Ash just stared at his newly evolved Pokemon as Garchomp let them go.

"Hey Garchomp, you evolved just so you could save me?" Ash asked in a soft tone.

"Gaaarrr." The dragon towering over Ash nodded his head.

Snivy leapt up and sat happily on Garchomp's shoulder. On the other hand, Serena was completely petrified. She had almost died. But once again, her saviour was Ash. She came out of the shock as professor Sycamore ran towards the duo. Even Pikachu made his way from the tower and hugged his trainer.

"Pika Pika." He spoke lowly, burrying his face in his best friend's chest, who petted the rodent.

"Ash, Serena. Thank goodness, you're fine." Sycamore sighed in relief.

"We have Garchomp to thank, don't we Serena?" asked Ash as he smiled at the new trainer.

When Serena heard Ash call her name, she was shocked. She couldn't believe that Ash actually remembered her after all those years. She thought that he wouldn't recognize her at all but he just did. The joy she felt thinking about it could not be described.

"Yes." She giggled, with a hue of crimson on her cheeks.

* * *

The next day, the sun shone over our heroes as Ash and Serena stood outside a completely destroyed Sycamore Research lab. They were all set and ready to begin their journey.

When Ash and the others returned to the Reasearch lab after Garchomp's rampage the other day, they all introduced themselves to each other; something they failed to do earlier due to the intervention of Professor Sycamore's dragon. During dinner, the Pokemon Professor asked Ash about is goal in Kalos. Ash explained to them that he wanted to compete in the Kalos league. Sycamore asked the same question to Serena who told her about Pokemon Performances. At this, the raven-haired trainer got a great idea; why didn't he and Serena travel together. Serena was shocked at first that Ash had asked her to travel through the Kalos region. The two of them would be travelling all alone. Obviously, Serena agreed without any doubts in her mind.

"So Serena, are you sure you want to travel with me?" Ash asked. "I don't want to slow you down because of my Gym battles."

"Of course I am Ash. I am as sure as I can ever be." The beautiful young girl replied with no hesitation in her tone whatsoever.

Serena would never have imagined that she would meet the man of her dreams on the first day of her journey. And if that wasn't good enough, now he'd himself asked her if she wanted to travel with him.

"So that's settled." Ash said beaming at Serena, who blushed watching her travelling companion's cute face.

"Pi Pikachu!"

A blue frog watched the two humans walk away from the nearby bushes. It had been observing Ash since even before the trainer reached Professor Sycamore's research lab and it wouldn't stop tailing the guy just yet. The Pokemon was keen to test something on him and he wouldn't give up until it had tried it.

"Good luck on your journey, you two." The Pokemon Professor wished the couple goodbye as they began their journey to conquer Kalos.

* * *

**How did you find the story? I have been thinking about this for a while now and finally decided to write it down. . When I found out that there is gonna be an episode in which Ash and Serena go on a date, I decided to go through with the idea. I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. The Rival of Love

**_The Love Rival_**

* * *

**_Speeches :_**

"A" – Normal Human Speech

'A' - Thoughts

* * *

Our heroes were taking a break from their travels as they sat under the cover of a tree, making their lunch, just on the outskirts of Lumiose City. After they'd left Professor Sycamore's laboratory in the morning the other day, they made their way out of Lumiose City in order for Ash to challenge his first Gym in the Kalos region. As unusual as it may sound, they hadn't encountered many wild Pokemon yet. Ash was aware that Lumiose City had a Pokemon Gym of its own but he'd somehow stumbled across a newspaper and read a headline in it which informed him that the Gym was closed for another month due to the Gym leader being away. And so, Ash decided to challenge the Santalune City Gym in the meantime. He had already started his training routine, working out with his Pokemon in the morning. He had made up his mind to sometimes train alongside his Pokemon instead of his Pokemon training alone.

Humming in her sweet tone,Serena appeared to be making their lunch as Ash prepared food for their Pokemon. In his years of travelling with Brock and Cilan, Ash had learned a few recipes from them and before he left for Kalos, he tried a few of them out. To his pleasure, they were successful and all of his Pokemon liked his cooking.

All of their Pokemon rested nearby waiting for their meals to be ready. Snivy and Fennekin seemed to be getting along well. The third Pokemon Ash brought along with him, the Johto starter, Totodile danced around as usual, entertaining everyone. Garchomp looked like he was enjoying his new form as he kept jumping and leaping from tree to tree, slashing some tree trunks with his fins, trying to strengthen his attack power.

Soon, the meals of the humans as well as the Pokemon were ready as they began eating. Surprisingly though, Ash ate much calmly and steadily than usual. He didn't know why but he didn't want Serena to see his horrible table manners. It confused him as to why he thought like that. Girls never affected him in the least. It was like he didn't have hormones or something. But something about Serena aroused him. It was only a faint feeling but he could feel it grow as time went on. He could feel the need to get closer to her. He wondered why he felt a fuzzy feeling when he thought of the honey-haired girl.

Serena kept observing Ash for as long as they'd started eating. And she definitely noticed that Ash's eating speed had slowed down since they started, which made her a little uncomfortabe. She was afraid that Ash might not have liked the food. But the meal she made right now was probably the best she'd ever cooked in her life. Before leaving, she made sure to buy all the ingredients necessary to make the best meals for Ash. Brushing all her fears aside, she decided to ask Ash what was wrong.

"Hey Ash." She called out to the trainer from Kanto.

Her voice snapped Ash out of his train of thoughts as he looked at Serena and realized that he must have spaced out. Rubbing the back of his neck, he replied. "What's the matter, Serena?"

"Is something… wrong with the food?" the new trainer asked with a little bit of hesitation. There was a hint of distress in her voice. Even her face seemed a bit worried.

Ash raised an eyebrow at her question. Why would Serena ask a question like that? As far as Ash was concerned, the food tasted amazingly good. In fact, Ash thought that she might be an even better cook than Brock, who probably was second only to his mother.

Finally taking another bite from his sandwich after what seemed to be the longest time, Ash answered. "Nope." Ash smiled at the teenage girl. "The food's great."

When Serena watched Ash smile and compliment her cooking, her heart started to beat faster. Of course, she'd received many compliments about her cooking before but coming from Ash, it seemed something special. She sighed in relief, finally breathing easy again.

* * *

The cool evening breeze blew as Ash and Serena walked through the dirt road connecting Lumiose City and Santalune City, the location of Ash's first Gym battle. With Pikachu perched on his shoulder, Ash marched at a brisk pace. His pace appeared to be too quick for a certain young lady started to breathe heavily. Her inexperience in travelling was clearly visible by the way she struggled to keep up.

Stopping in her tracks, Serena spoke while panting. "Ash." She took a moment to catch her breath as she continued. "Please slow down. I can't walk so fast." Even though she didn't want to keep Ash waiting for his first Gym match in Kalos, she just couldn't continue going at that pace.

Hearing his travelling companion, Ash ceased his march and turned around to see Serena looking at him with her hands on her knees. Pikachu sitting on Ash's shoulder too looked at her in curiosity. He realized that he was so excited that he just forgot all about Serena.

"Uhh… I am really sorry Serena. I almost forgot that you aren't used to this sort of heavy travelling." He apologized with a sorry look on his face. "What do you say we call it a day?" he questioned. "It would be a good time for me to train my Pokemon as well."

Serena felt relief in her heart after what Ash said. Even though her heart wanted to take Ash to his destination as soon as possible, her legs thought otherwise. "Sounds good." She responded with a grin on her pretty face. "A-Ash. Can I train along with you?" she asked as her cheeks got beet red. "I thought you could help me train my Fennekin for my performances."

"Of course you can. I will try to help you as much as possible. We're friends after all, aren't we?" Ash beamed at her.

Just then, Pikachu's ears straightened as he heard something moving nearby. Suddenly, appeared jumped from behind, jumping from tree to tree at a really fast pace before landing right in front of Ash. The Froakie that had been on the tail finally decided to reveal itself.

"Froakie Fro." The Pokemon yelled. It seemed as if it wanted to challenge Ash to a battle as it raised one of its paws towards the trainer.

"Isn't that one of the starter Pokemon of Kalos?" Ash asked.

Serena well aware of the Pokemon's identity replied. "Yes. It's Froakie, the water-type starter. I saw one in Professor Sycamore's Research lab."

He was surprised that a Pokemon as rare as Fraokie appeared from nowhere and challenged him. The starters were rare Pokemon to find in the wild after all. The starters for beginning trainers were raised by specialists in the Pokemon League reserves and so, not a lot of them showed themselves in the wild. But with Ash's luck, he'd encountered plenty of wild starters before. Quickly removing his Pokedex from his pocket, Ash pointed it at the Froakie as the Pokedex began to speak in its mechanical tone.

"**Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. From its chest and back, Froakie creates bubbles called Frubbles, which act as a cushion and soften the blow of an opponent's attack."**

With the look the Froakie had on its face, Ash knew what it wanted and he intended to oblige to its wishes.

"Do you think it was following us?" Serena asked, tiltinf her head.

Ash smirked as he answered. "I don't know and actually, I don't care. It looks pretty strong and I want to catch it."

"Pikachu, are you ready?" Ash asked the mouse on his shoulder. Getting down from his favourite position, Pikachu replied with a "Pika!"

Pikachu actually seemed to be pretty excited to fight his first real battle in the Kalos region. He hadn't had a good fight in a while now and he looked forward to fighting the strong looking Froakie.

"Tone your power down a little for this battle Pikachu. Let's test how good it is." suggested Ash as Pikachu looked at his opponent with a grin.

"Froakie." The frog Pokemon challenged with a smirk causing Pikachu's cheeks to spark with electricity.

Without watning, the wild Froakie began running at unbelievable speed in zigzag patterns as it closed the distance between itself and Pikachu. Ash observed the Froakie for a brief instant and he noted that it was pretty quick.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt." Ash commanded, pointing a finger at his opponent.

Hearing his best friend, Pikachu clenched his small paws as he became covered in a yellow lightning. He channelled the lightning into a bolt of electricity and aimed it at his opponent. Although, before the Thunderbolt could reach it, Froakie shouted its name and multiple copies of the Kalos water-type now scurried at Pikachu instead of one. The Thunderbolt hit one of the Froakie, but to Pikachu's disappointment, it was just an illusion. Before Pikachu had the time to make another move, he was struck by Froakie's Quick Attack, the force of which threw the yellow mouse backwards as he was smashed into a tree. But the expression that Pikachu had wasn't the one that Froakie expected. It looked as if Pikachu didn't take any damage at all.

Seeing his chance with Pikachu standing still, Froakie hopped into the air. He took some of the frubbles around its neck and threw them at Pikachu in an attempt to cease Pikachu's movements. Without wasting another moment, it brought its hands together and started to form a ball of spinning water.

"You're a strong one." Ash complimented, smiling at the Froakie. "Pikachu, hit it with your Iron Tail."

As if nothing ever happened, Pikachu jumped and prepared his Iron Tail. As his tail glowed and became stronger than steel, he ran at his opponent. Froakie threw its Water Pulse at the incoming Pikachu but to its surprise, Ash's starter merely shoved its attack aside with his Iron Tail like it was nothing. Soon, Froakie was hit by the Iron Tail sending it crashing to the ground with a loud thud. It had clearly taken a lot of damage as it struggled to get up.

Standing next to Ash, Serena watched the battle with a lot of interest. She was amazed at how calm and confident Ash remained even in the heat of battle. In her eyes, Ash was perfect. He was a perfect trainer, a perfect human being and she just couldn't imagine how perfect a boyfriend or husband he would make. Serena blushed at the thought of that but suddenly, she was brought back to reality when Froakie hit the ground after being hit by Pikachu.

Ash didn't want to waste anymore time catching his first Pokemon in Kalos. He removed an empty Pokeball from his pocket and threw it at the beaten up Froakie, who was sucked inside with a bright flash of red light.

Ash, Serena and Pikachu all watched the shaking Pokeball closely. Ash seemed a bit nervous. Even with all the experience undr his belt, the first capture in a new region always remained something special for him.

The Pokeball shook a few more times before making a 'ping' sound signifying that Froakie had been successfully captured. Slowly, Ash moved forward and picked up the Pokeball. He felt intense joy in his heart as he looked at the Pokeball which captured his first Pokemon in the Kalos region.

"I caught a Froakie." Ash said calmly. He didn't even pose for the capture like he usually did. Instead, he just raised the Pokeball towards the sky and smiled. Pikachu seemed confused by this. From when did his trainer become so gentle.

* * *

It wasn't long before Ash and Serena had set up their camp for the night. Ash's newest Pokemon, Froakie seemed to fit nicely in Ash's group of Pokemon. After healing Froakie in the evening, Ash scanned it to take a look at its moves and he was very impressed by its moveset. According to the Pokedex, Ash's Froakie knew Bubble, Quick Attack, Pound, Double Team and Water Pulse. He alsoe found out that his Fraokie was male and had the ability Torrent, which increases the power of a Pokemon's water-type attacks when it had taken severe damage.

During his little training regiment in the evening, Ash explained everything about him and his goal to Froakie, who seemed to be delighted about what was to come. The little frog loved to battle, and in Ash, he'd found an ideal trainer for himself.

As promised, Ash helped Serena train her Fennekin. Firstly, Ash told Serena that her Pokedex can provide her with full information from moves to Ability of the Pokemon she owns. He told her that her Pokedex cant tell her about the moves or ability of any Pokemon that wasn't owned by her. Serena's Pokedex told her that her Fennekin was female, her ability was Blaze and she could use the moves Scratch, Ember and Hidden Power. During training, Serena's starter somehow managed to amplify the power ofher Ember and learn Flamethrower.

The chirps and songs of the Pokemon could be heard in the silent night as Serena laid in her tent after what was a tiring day for her. A tiring day may be, but not a boring one.

"So Serena, how are these Pokevision contests? I haven't seen or even heard of them before."

Serena looked at Ash, who entered the tent with Pikachu beside him. He was off to fill their water bottles which had been emptied after they drank all their water while dinner. Ash handed Serena her bottle as she sat up and kept it in her backpack before answering.

"It's a contest in which performers have to show off their Pokemon in the best possible manner they can. It's called Pokemon Showcase. And the participants are called Pokemon Performers." She explained.

Ash kept a hand on his chin in thought. "It sounds a lot like the appeal rounds of a contest."

"It is." Serena nodded laying back in her sleeping bag. She looked up as if imagining something. "But the difference is that in Pokemon Showcase, we don't have a round with Pokemon battles. Every performer is given a ranking according to their performances. The first round is called the Theme Performance in which we have to make Pokepuffs, grooming Pokemon and props. The second round is called General Free Style Performance. In this round, a Performer needs to show off their Pokemon and its moves in the best way possible."

As Ash took in what Serena told him, he started to feel sleepy. They did cover quite a lot of distance in the day and like any other human being, appeared to be a bit worn out. Not to mention the training he did with his Pokemon. "It's getting late." The brown eyed boy yawned. "We have to get going early tomorrow. Good night Serena."

Turning around, he started to walk back to his tent but before he could leave, he heard Serena. "H-Hey Ash." Serena called out in a nervous tone.

She felt butterflies in her stomach when she saw Ash turn to look at her. The honey-haired teen wanted to ask Ash if he could just sleep in her tent. There was enough space for the two of them to sleep comfortably. But at this point, Serena was just too afraid that Ash wouldn't like the idea and get mad at her. She knew that Ash was kind and gentle and he wouldn't make such a big deal out of it but she just couldn't muster the strength to ask him something like that just yet.

Ash raised an eyebrow at Serena's silence. "Do you want something?"

Snapping out of her stupor, Serena laughed awkwardly. "Haha… I just wanted to say… Goodnight."

Ash chuckled. "Sweet dreams Serena."

* * *

The next morning went by quietly with Ash training his Pokemon as usual and Serena trying a few accessories on her Fennekin for her Pokevision video she decided to record in Santalune City.

Serena pulled out a blue handkerchief from her skirt's pocket as she walked alongside Ash on their way to Santalune City. "Ash, do you remember this?" She blushed furiously as she asked Ash about the handkerchief he'd tied on her wound years ago.

Turning to the honey-haired girl, Ash had a confused expression on his face. "No." He said blandly.

The single word that Ash spoke stung Serena like a Beedril. She expected Ash to remember the handkerchief in her hand since he gave the handkerchief to her. "You don't?" She asked in a disappointed tone as her hat covered her disappointed face. "Don't you remember me from Professor Oak's summer camp you attended when you were younger?"

Pikachu looked curious about the piece of cloth Serena held in her hand. He never remembered his trainer giving a napkin to Serena as long as he'd been with Ash. He didn't even know that his trainer knew Serena.

"Wait a minute." Ash puffed. "You must be the girl with the straw hat; the one who injured her leg in the summer camp."

A hue of red covered Serena's cheek as she raised her head and gave a small smile to Ash. He might have not recognized her straightaway which made her upset but she felt a little better when she realized that Ash didn't completely forget about her. She would let this one slip by. She was going to be with Ash for quite a while travelling the entire Kalos region alone with him.

"I never would have guessed that you won't remember me?" She pouted, making her face look even cuter. Ash felt a something inside of him seeing Serena's pretty face. Ash couldn't comprehend what it was. Never in his life before had he felt like that.

"I am sorry Serena." He smiled. "But I promise to make up for it."

Serena skipped forward with joy. She teased Ash by sticking her tongue out of her mouth. "Well, of course you will."

Suddenly, Serena heard a familiar voice nearby. "So that was the story behind the handkerchief."

As Ash Serena and Pikachu turned to the source of the voice, they saw a boy with fair skin, gray eyes and black hair. He wore a blue zip shirt, blue jeans and a pair of brown boots. The boy had a frown on his face as he stared at Serena, leaning back on a tree.

Serena was stunned to see the guy, who stood roughly about Ash's height. "Calem." She said revealing the name of her childhood friend.

"You always said that it was your lucky charm." He softly accused the girl. His tone had bitterness in it. "I never expected you to lie to me, Serena."

Serena remained silent for a few moments as she took in his words. She did tell her friends that the handkerchief was her lucky charm. She always treasured the cloth. But she didn't lie to her friends. That hanky was her lucky charm, considering that Ash gave it to her. "I didn't lie to you." She replied as Calem marched towards Serena. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"When I asked you if you wanted to come with me, you told me that you wanted to travel alone." He stated. "But as I see it, you don't seem to be travelling alone." He glared at Ash who'd been watching the entire scene without moving an inch.

"I… I thought…" Serena stuttered, unable to find the best words for the situation. She didn't want to upset him. From their childhood, they'd been very close and he was probably one of her closest friends. "I thought that an experienced trainer like Ash might be able to help me start my journey, that's all."

Calem was a not a guy to get mad too often and Serena was aware of that. But this time, it was an exception. When he looked at Ash, his anger started to rise. His eyes turned red and he clenched his fists. He was frustrated that a girl he knew from his childhood would choose to go with a guy like Ash. To him, Ash didn't look special at all. Then, an idea struck him.

"If that's your reason," Calem smirked at Serena, calming down. "Let's see who's a better trainer to help you." Removing a Pokeball, he pointed it towards Ash. "Let's battle to find out who's better for you."

Hearing him, Serena tensed up. "No Calem. There's no need t-" She was cut off as Ash spoke for the first time in a long time.

"You've said enough, Calem." Ash stated staring right back at Calem. He didn't know why but the thought of travelling without Serena just didn't feel good to him. And to leave her with a guy like Calem seemed even worse. "You want a Pokemon battle to decide who's better for Serena, then so be it."

"Ash, no." Serena whispered to herself as she clasped her hands together. She had full faith in Ash but she just couldn't put aside the uneasy feeling that she felt when the possibility of Ash losing came to her mind.

Calem appeared to have a confident grin on his face as he threw his Pokeball in the air. "You're up Chesnaught!" he shouted. The Pokeball opened up to reveal the content inside as a bipedal, mammalian Pokémon with some plant-like features, possessing a prominent domed, armor-like shell similar to that of a chestnut came out and howled.

"Naughhttt!"

Ash shot a good look at his opponent's Pokemon before throwing his own Pokeball on the field. "Snivy, I choose you." His Pokeball clicked and Snivy stood on the field with a smirk as she faced a Grass-type opponent.

"Chesnaught, lets start with Pin Missile." Calem made the first move and quickly, his Pokemon obliged as its needle-like claws glowed brightly and it released multiple white stream of pins at Snivy.

"Repel it with Leaf Storm." Ash countered. He knew full well that a Bug-type attack like Pin Missile would cause quite a lot of damage to his grass-type Snivy if it hit.

Jumping into the air, a multitude of green leaves were summoned by Snivy. The leaves started spinning around her body before she fired all of them at once at her opponent.

The Leaf Storm and Pin Missile collided with each other and both were cancelled out.

Taking charge again, Calem commanded. "Charge in and use Body Slam."

Chesnaught jumped forward and charged at its enemy with intent to crush her.

As Ash took in Chesnaught's battle style, he realized its weakness. He now knew when to strike. "Snivy, let it come closer and doge at the last minute."

As the Chesnaught neared, Calem pumped one of his fists. He thought that he had the match in the bag if the attack hit. But that wasn't the case as Snivy proved too fast for his Chesnaught. It missed its target, who jumped gracefully over its head.

"Snivy now, attack with Leaf Blade." Ash ordered.

Snivy didn't waste any time as she jumped and her tail became surrounded in a wavy light green aura. Locking onto her target, she brought down her glowing tail at the Spiny Armor Pokemon and slashed it with full force. The Chesnaught grunted in pain as the Leaf blade caused damage to it.

Helplessly, Serena watched the battle from the side. She wanted the fight to end but she knew she couldn't do anything now. She didn't want Ash and Calem fighting over her and let their Pokemon get hurt because of her. In her heart, thoughts of Calem and her playing together in her childhood ran. Not only that, but she also remembered the memory of Ash treating to the wound on her leg at the Summer camp. Calem was her friend, but she wanted Ash to win. It wasn't Ash who started the fight. But even if he would have, she could never support anyone else against the boy she loved.

On the field, Calem grit his teeth as he saw his Chesnaught in agony.

Ash though saw this as a great opportunity to deal some more damage and finish the battle. "Use Leaf Blade again, Snivy."

Again, Snivy's tail glowed green and she leapt at her opponent to deliver her Leaf Blade.

But just then, Calem smirked. "Chesnaught, catch the little snake."

Not long after Calem's instruction, the final evolution of Kalos' Grass-Type starter raised its head and grinned at Snivy, who appeared shocked to see the Chesnaught up on its feet so soon. Snivy thought of retreating, but she was too late as Chesnaught caught her tail and squeezed her as hard as it could. She struggled to get out of its grasp but failed.

"Now Chesnaught, use Needle Arm." Calem wanted to finish to battle as soon as he could. He could feel the pleasure as he the thought of him travelling with Serena alone crossed his mind.

Chesnaught's spiky arm glowed white and sharp needles grew on it as he swung it at the Grass Snake Pokemon with everything he had. The Needle Arm smashed into Snivy and she went crashing to the ground and landed near Ash, with bruises all over her body.

"You can't lose." Serena uttered as she clenched her hands near her chest even tighter.

"Snivy, I know you can do this. I have full faith in you." Ash said in a soft tone. "And that's the reason I chose you in an important battle like this one."

Hearing the words of encouragement of her trainer, Snivy turned to look at him. What she saw wasn't disappointment or fear of losing, it was belief and trust in her. She wanted to win, not for her pride as a Grass-type but for her trainer. She didn't care what it would take out of her, she just knew that she couldn't let her trainer down.

"Chu Pika." Pikachu too, cheered his friend on, showing his trust in her.

Meanwhile, Calem just looked at Serena and smirked. 'No one will stand between you and me Serena.' Pointing his finger at Snivy, he ordered. "Chesnaught, let's end this with Hammer Arm."

Chesnaught charged towards its opponent while its forearm glowed white with energy.

But Ash and Snivy paid no mind to that. Ash just gave a small smile to Snivy, who started to get up. She smirked, calling out her name and suddenly, she was engulfed in a bright light. Her arms and legs started to grow in size and so did the leaves on her tail and a few leaves grew on her back as well. When the light died down, the evolved form of Snivy, Servine stood in place of Ash's Snivy.

"Ser vine." The evolved form of Snivy grinned.

"It evolved." Calem gasped, gritting his teeth in frustration.

Without even getting a command, the newly evolved Servine jumped in the air with a high burst of speed and a clear aura around it. Before Chesnaught could even locate her, Servine struck it right in the middle of the belly, making her adversary yell in severe anguish.

Impressed by the move, Ash snickered. "You learned Aerial Ace, Servine. Great job. Use it again to finish this up."

"Chesnaught, dodge it." Calem called in panic as he saw Servine come closer to his Chesnaught. With speed that Chesnaught couldn't follow, Servine struck it again and sent it flying towards a tree. This time, the Pokemon made no sound as swirls appeared in its eyes and it fainted.

"No, Chesnaught." Calem shouted in disbelief. He couldn't accept the fact that Ash beat him, he just couldn't.

As soon as she saw that Chesnaught could no longer battle, Serena rushed over to Ash and threw her arms around him. She couldn't have bared to separate from Ash and he had made sure that she didn't. She couldn't control her emotions as a tear slipped down her cheek. She just knew that she was in love with Ash Ketchum and nothing could change that fact. When she saw Snivy on the receiving end of Chesnaught's attacks, she couldn't help but think that she could lose Ash. But now, that was all over and her Ash would be with him.

Ash just ran a hand through Serena's back to comfort her. Her touch, her smell, it all felt so good to him. It wasn't the first time Ash had hugged a pretty girl. But something about Serena seemed different. When he heard her voice, all his worries would leave him. He would forget everything going around him. He couldn't help but wonder what this feeling was all about.

Meanwhile, Calem recalled his Pokemon to its Pokeball and stared at the Ash and Serena with intense rage. He had not just lost a Pokemon battle, but also a chance to prove himself to Serena. "Hey you idiot." He called out. "Remember this. Our battle isn't over yet and it won't be until you get out of Serena's life, you hear that." He spat bitterly at Ash and ran into the woods.

After a few moments passed, Ash let Serena go, who now blushed furiously at her actions. She couldn't believe that she actually hugged Ash.

"I won't ask you who he was." Ash said calmly. "You can tell me about him whenever you feel like it."

Serena gazed at Ash in the eyes and nodded dumbly. Ash's eyes showed so much care for her that she forgot everything that had just happened with Calem.

* * *

The morning sun shined brightly as Ash and Serena continued on their way to Santalune City.

"Hey Pikachu, do you want to try one of these?" Serena asked Pikchu as she offered him a small pink puff. "It's a Pokepuff that I baked this morning." She told him, bending down and offering Pikachu the Pokepuff.

"Pikachuuu." The small rodent squealed, accepting the item baked by Serena.

He took it in both his small paws and brought it near his mouth. But just when he was about to eat it, he found out that the Pokepuff disappeared. He looked around in different directions in order to try and find the thief. Finally, his eyes stopped at a small, avian having a reddish orange head with a triangular mark on the back of eah eye. Its body and wings appeared to be gray and it had white tips on its wings.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu called out to Ash, pointing a finger at the robin Pokemon that joyfully ate his Pokepuff.

Ash looked down at Pikachu and questioned. "What is it Pikachu?"

He followed Pikachu's finger and saw the Flying Type Pokemon. "That's a Fletchling." Removing his Pokedex, the raven-haired trainer pointed it at the avian Pokemon.

"**Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokémon. Although Fletchling's chirp is quite beautiful to hear, it is relentlessly tough with those who enter its territory."**

After eating the Pokepuff, the Fletchling started to take flight. "Hey, it's getting away. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt."

As Pikachu jumped, electricity surrounded him as the electric mouse shouted his name and aimed the Thunderbolt at the Fletchling. Fletchling noticed Pikachu's move as it moved at high speeds and took cover behind a tree, avoiding the bolt of electricity. Of course, Pikachu held back his power because the Thunderbolt was much slower and weaker than usual. Soon, the Fletchling ascended as its wings glowed bright white and it released many bright, crescent waves at Pikachu.

"ling Fletchling." shouted the wild Flying-type.

Ash snickered as he ordered Pikachu's next move. "Not bad. That's Razor Wind. Pikachu dodge it and attack with Electro Ball."

Concentrating his electric energy in the middle of his tail, Pikachu formed a yellow ball with a silver nucleus and threw it at the Fletchling, who couldn't get away in time. The Electro Ball struck Fletchling as electricity gushed throughout its body and it fell to the ground.

Ash, wasting no time threw a new Pokeball at the tiny robin Pokemon, which sucked it inside in a flash of red light. The Pokeball shook a couple of time before it stopped moving.

Serena smiled at Ash's professional work. "You caught it Ash."

"I sure did." He said as he picked up the Pokeball and placed his second Kalos capture in his Pokeball belt.

"Pi Pikachu." Pikachu cheered with a victory sign.

* * *

A man watched them from a good distance away. The egg in his hand glowed momentarily as he walked closer. "It's definitely him."

* * *

**How was the chapter guys? Review and tell me how you felt.**

**As you know, Ash's first Gym battle took place quite early in XY and there weren't many things that happened between Ash's arrival and his first Gym match. So I decided to add Calem just to give it a little twist. He will be one of Ash's rival. Though, I haven't decided whether he will be the main rival or I will introduce someone else later. (It also depends upon the anime. If the anime introduces a competent rival for Ash, which they haven't in XY so far, then that character will probably be his main rivalin this story too.)**

**And Ash's Froakie's gonna evolve into Frogadier in the anime on the 11th of December, in case you did not know.**


	3. The Blustery Battle and Pokevision

_**The Blustery Battle and Pokevision**_

* * *

_**Speeches :**_

"A" – Normal Human Speech

'A' - Thoughts

* * *

Santalune City, the site of Ash's first Gym in the Kalos region, was right in front of him. After 4 days of travelling, Ash and Serena had finally made it. Ash seemed ecstatic, totally ready to rock the match between and Alexa's sister and himself, the Santalune Gym Leader.

Serena and Ash with Pikachu perched on his shoulder made their way through the streets of the city, surrounded by many architectural buildings. The first thing our heroes did was visit the Pokémon Center and get their Pokémon healed up. The journey had been a tiring one, not only for the two trainers, but also for their Pokémon because of all the training they did with them, especially Ash, so getting them back to full health was their first priority but, for Ash, it wasn't the only reason. In order to be ready for anything in his Gym battle, Ash wanted to have an ace up his sleeve.

* * *

Ash called all of his Pokémon out as he stood in an empty training field near the Pokémon Center. He had a determined look on his face as he explained his strategy to all of his Pokémon who listened intently to their trainer.

"Are you ready for the Gym battle, Ash?" Serena questioned the Pokémon Trainer.

The raven-haired boy stopped his conversation with his Pokémon as he turned to look at his travelling companion. "Of course, Serena," he replied with a determined grin plastered across his face. "You saw the training I did with all my Pokémon."

"Right!" she chuckled. "How silly of me to ask."

* * *

The wait for Ash to start his quest to win the Kalos League was finally over as he stood in front of the Gym, confidently staring at it. Last night, he'd researched the Santalune Gym and he knew what he would be up for. He had readied himself for anything that would be thrown at him by the Gym Leader.

"So, you've finally made it, Ash."

Ash heard an all too familiar voice speak behind him and he knew whom it belonged to. Turning around quickly, he saw his good friend Alexa beaming at him. "Hey, Alexa," he greeted.

Alexa's Helioptile came running forward as Pikachu got down from Ash's shoulder and met his Electric-type friend. Soon, they started talking about the new things that they recently experienced in Pokéspeech.

Alexa took a few steps towards the raven-haired Trainer and began. "I have been waiting for you. From the moment that I mentioned that a really strong Trainer was going to challenge her, my sister has been really excited to battle you."

"Is that right?" Ash snickered, rubbing the back of his head. "I can't wait to battle her, either."

Ash noticed that Alexa looked confused about Serena, so he decided to enlighten her about his new companion. He placed one of his hands around Serena's shoulder, which almost looked like an embrace, making the honey-haired teen blush furiously. Ash did it on instinct. He didn't know why, but his heart just told him to do so and he did. "This is Serena. We're travelling together," he told Alexa with a grin.

"H-hi!" Serena greeted, her cheeks turning a brighter shade of red when she saw Alexa giving her hard look.

Alexa smirked at the two Trainers as she responded. "I am Alexa. It's nice to meet you."

Ash still subconsciously held onto Serena as he spoke again. "So, Alexa, where's your sister? I want to battle her right now."

Alexa wanted to tease Ash and Serena but, on the other hand, she knew how much Ash wanted to battle in the Gym, so she decided to cut him a break. "She should be inside. I'll take you to her. Folow me."

* * *

The three walked inside the Gym, observing the various pictures of different Pokemon on the walls. Ash wondered if those photos were taken by Alexa. He always thought that Alexa was a journalist and not a photographer.

"Did you take all those pictures, Alexa?" Ash asked, gazing at the walls.

Walking along, Alexa replied, "No, Ash. Those were shot by my sister. She's a photographer."

After walking for a few more seconds, the three had finally reached the Gym's battlefield. Alexa looked around the stands in search of her sister and she finally spotted her sitting on one of the benches and doing something with her camera.

Ash and Serena marched along with Alexa as she approached the blonde-haired girl. "Viola. You've been challenged to a Gym match."

Standing up, said person turned her gaze to the newcomers. "That's some good news. I've been bored these last few days and I was planning to go on a trip soon." She smiled at Ash and Serena, wondering which one of the two might have challenged her. "Do you both want to battle me?" she questioned, folding her hands.

"This is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, Viola," Alexa introduced Ash to her sister.

Hearing Ash's name, Viola suddenly got excited as she took a step forward and smirked. She had been waiting for Ash to arrive and she wanted a good battle with him. Alexa did tell her that this Trainer named Ash was one with great skill and promise. According to what Alexa had told her about the young Trainer, Ash had a great chance, not only in the Kalos League, but also the Kalos Champions League and, for that very reason, the Gym Leader of Santalune City wanted to test out just how much truth her older sister's words contained.

"So, you are the Ash that I've heard so highly about. I was wondering when you'd show up," Viola said with an excited look on her face. "I am Viola, the Santalune Gym Leader."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. As you already know, I am Ash and this is Serena," Ash spoke, pointing to the girl beside him.

"Hello," Serena smiled.

"You seem to be taking good care of your new girlfriend, Ash," Alexa teased as she playfully punched Ash in the chest.

Quickly taking in what Alexa had just said, Ash turned to face her, a huge blush on his profile. "She's not my girlfriend, Alexa," Ash defended, desperately waving his hands in front of his face.

Serena didn't fare any better as she too turned red from embarrassment. She did want to be Ash's girlfriend, but this seemed to be too, much even for her.

"So, Ash. Do you want me to battle you like I battle any other Trainer or do you want me to bend the rules for you?" Viola asked, interrupting the play between Alexa and Ash.

Ash appeared to be confused by what Viola had just said. How would Viola bend the rules? Noticing that Ash was perplexed about her offer, she decided to elaborate for him regarding what she meant and she was sure that he would like it.

"You see, Santalune City Gym is one of first Gyms most new Trainers challenge after they receive their first Pokémon," she stated as Ash, as well as Serena, listened to her speech with keen interest. "So, I have to restrain myself from using my strongest Pokémon or most of the new Trainers won't get the Bug Badge. Not every Gym Leader does this. Very few Gym Leaders do this," she explained. "According to the official Pokémon League rules, all Santalune Gym battles should be 2-on-2 but, if you want, we can have a 3-on-3 match with me using my strongest Pokémon as well."

After hearing what the Santalune Gym Leader had just said, Ash was even more pumped up. His first Gym battle in the Kalos region already had his adrenaline pumping, but finding out that the Gym leader had a stronger Pokémon that she didn't use against every Trainer was just an added bonus. 'This is gonna be fun,' the teen from Kanto thought as he raised his fist in the air, declaring his excitement.

"Do you think that I would say no to that?" he boomed in excitement. "Bring it on!"

* * *

The challenger and the Gym leader stood on opposite ends of the Gym's battlefield, both of them grinning in exhilaration. The fiery look in Ash's eyes assured Viola that she would be having a great battle. One that she'd been waiting for. Ash too looked forward to winning his first Badge in the new region.

The referee standing on the middle of the field at glanced at Viola and Ash. "The Santalune City Gym battle between Gym Leader Viola and challenger Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town will now begin. Each side can use up to 3 Pokémon and the battle will be over when all of either Trainer's Pokemon are unable to continue. Only the challenger may substitute Pokémon." Raising both her hands, she announced, "Begin."

Stretching her arm holding her Poké Ball in front of her, Viola tossed the ball up in the air. "My lens is always focussed on victory. Surskit. Go."

A blue insectiod Pokémon came out of the blonde Gym Leader's Poké Ball. "Surskit," it cried.

"So, you're starting with a Surskit, huh?" Ash grinned as he threw his own Poké Ball towards the field. "Fletchling. I choose you." Out of the Poké Ball, Ash's newly caught Flying-Type flew upwards calling her name.

On the platform above the field, Serena took out her Pokédex in order to check out Surskit, a Pokémon she'd never seen before. As soon as she pointed he Pokédex at the Surkit, it started to speak.

"Surskit, the Pond Skater Pokémon. Surskit can walk on water as if it was skating. It attracts prey with a sweet aroma it produces."

Viola didn't take any time to start the battle. "Surskit. Let's start off by using Bubble Beam."

Obeying the command it got from its Trainer, the Pond Skater Pokemon raised its front legs and, soon, a blue coloured water bubble formed between its legs. It lowered the ball of water, which formed into multiple bubbles and quickly made their way towards Fletchling.

"Lets show them your strength, Fletchling. Intercept the attack with Razor Wind," Ash confidently called out his first move.

As the bubbles neared, Fletchling's wings glowed brightly as she waved them repeatedly, releasing crescent-shaped white energy waves. The Razor Wind and Bubble Beam smashed into each other, cancelling each other out and forming a huge cloud of smoke.

Ash wanted to use the smoke to his advantage as he took the initiative this time around. "Fletchling. Use Quick Attack."

From the smoke, Fletchling descended with amazing speed and, in a moment, she was behind Viola's Surskit who couldn't defend in time and was hit by the Quick Attack and was sent backwards.

"Not bad, Ash," Viola complimented as she spoke out her next move. "But, if you want speed, I'll show you. Use Aqua Jet."

The Bug and Water-type recovered quickly as it surrounded its body with water and shot towards the Robin Pokémon and struck it, causing some damage.

Ash winced for a moment, seeing his bird getting hurt, but he smirked as he saw the opening he'd been waiting for to test something out. "It's time for Acrobatics," Ash said calmly.

"Quickly dodge it, Surskit, and use Ice beam," Viola called in panic. She was well aware that a strong Flying-type move like Acrobatics could do serious super effective damage to her Pokémon.

Gliding down towards her opponent, Fletchling flew at such high speeds that she left a few afterimages. Surskit prepared its Ice Beam but, before it could launch it, it was slammed by Fletchling which caused its attack to fail. But, to Surskit's displeasure, Fletchling wasn't done yet as she turned around and bashed it several more times, each attack proving more painful than the last.

Viola stared at her Pokemon who fell to the ground face first and unconscious. "Surskit!" Viola called loudly.

The referee glanced at the defeated Surskit and declared, "Surskit is unable to battle. Fletchling wins."

"Fletchling ling." Fletchling cooed after winning her first official battle under Ash.

Ash chuckled seeing his Fletchling hover around in joy of victory. He always felt a connection to all of his Pokemon and he knew how good they felt after winning a battle for their Trainer, especially if it was their first battle.

Surprising everyone, Ash raised Fletchling's Poké Ball. "You did a great job, Fletchling. Now, take a long rest." In a beam of red light, Fletchling was called back to her Poké Ball.

Serena seemed to be the most stunned after Ash called back his Fletchling who seemed to be doing pretty well in the fight. "Why did he call back Fletchling?" she thought out loud.

Alexa heard the question of the blue-eyed Performer's mind and she answered. "Ash might have a plan to use Fletchling later in the match. It is a Flying-type and has a great advantage over a Bug-type Gym Leader like Viola," the reporter elucidated.

Viola recalled her Surskit too as she thanked her Pokemon for a battle in which it gave its all. She turned her gaze to Ash and said, "That was amazing, Ash. It's been a while since my Surskit has been taken down that easily." The Bug-type Gym Leader smiled. "But, I shouldn't have expected any less from you."

Ash just maintained his confident grin throughout, not being surprised by anything that Viola threw at him so far. "Thanks, Viola. You could say that I won because of the type advantage."

The photographer laughed at Ash's modest words. Ash had the advantage in the battle with a Flying-type, indeed, but that wasn't the entire reason he'd won so quickly. Viola, by now, had realized that Ash was not like the everyday challenger she got and defeated without even breaking a sweat.

Meanwhile, Ash readied his second Poké Ball and so did Viola. They both launched their Poké Balls onto the plain battlefield. Calling out his name, Ash's Froakie emerged from his Poké Ball, staring at his opponent who happened to be a pink-coloured Meadow Vivillon.

"Viii vii on," the Scale Pokemon shrilled, taking flight and showing its beautiful wings.

Ash observed the Vivillon for a few seconds before pulling his Pokédex out from his pocket and scanning Viviloon with it.

"Vivillon, the Scale Pokémon. Vivillon are skillfully able to find a source of water. It has been said that you'll find a spring if you follow a Vivillon."

"Alright, Froakie," Ash said loudly. "Use Water Pulse."

Not to be left behind, Viola raised her hand upwards and countered at the same time. "Vivillon. Stop it with Psychic."

Both hands brought close to each other, Froakie concentrated his energy and formed an orb of water between his palms. Vivillon's eyes glowed bright blue as it sent invisible psychic waves through the air. Just as Froakie was about to release his Water Pulse, he appeared to be trapped in Vivillon's Psychic as it raised him above the ground, making Froakie lose all the control over his movements.

"Now, make it bite dust, Vivillon," Viola commanded. There was a hint of excitement present in her tone. She hadn't been able to land a good hit on Ash's Fletchling, but her Vivillon wouldn't go down as easily as her Surskit did.

Vivillon raised Froakie even higher in the air before it brought him down with the full force of its Psychic attack, creating a dust cloud on the ground.

"Froa kieee," the Bubble Frog Pokemon cried out in agony.

Viola saw this as an opportunity to finish off the battle as she spoke again. "Vivillon. Bug Buzz. Now."

But, the expression Ash wore didn't impress Viola much. A composed smile on his face, Ash stood there without a care in the world. To Viola, it looked as if he was mocking her and she didn't like it one bit. Vivillon's wings shone red as it prepared for its Bug-type attack.

"Do it now."

As soon as Ash's voice came, a blue ball of water was hurled at Vivillon as Froakie jumped from the dust with a few bruises but, other than that, it looked just fine. Before it could finish its move, the Water Pulse hit Vivillon right on the thorax. The butterfly bawled in pain, completely stunned by the attack. Not only Vivillon, but also Viola as well as the others watching were left speechless. They never expected Froakie to recover so quickly.

"Now, Vivillon. Use Sleep Powder," Viola told her Pokémon.

A green, dusty powder made its way from Vivillon's pink wings and it surrounded Froakie. The move took Ash, as well as Froakie, by surprise and, as a result, Froakie couldn't dodge. Froakie fell down on the ground, snoring and completely asleep, signifying that the Sleep Powder had worked.

"That's picture perfect." Viola made her fingers look like a camera in front of her eye as she spoke again. "Vivillon. Use Solar Beam."

Hands curled in front of her chest, Serena gazed at Ash, seemingly worried about the Trainer.

Glowing faint yellow, numerous balls of energy surrounded the Scale Pokémon and, soon, a much larger orb had formed in between its antennae. As the charge up was complete, Vivillon fired a bright beam of solar energy at the drowsing Froakie. The beam reached Froakie but, before it could collide into the Pokémon, the red beam of the Poké Ball in Ash's hand surrounded Froakie and he was called back. The Solar Beam made a booming sound when it struck the ground where Froakie once stood, throwing dust everywhere.

Ash recalled his Froakie inside his Poké Ball. Removing another Poké Ball from his belt, he stared at it with intent. Finally, after a few moments, he tossed it up in the air. "It's time to battle, old timer."

Out of the ball came a huge bird Pokémon with a cream-coloured body and a multicoloured tail. It flew gracefully into the sky, ascending at an amazing speed, making everyone watching just admire her.

Viola was left speechless. The sheer size of the Pidgeot made her gulp. She had seen quite a few Pidgeot before since she was a photographer and had visited Kanto and Johto quite a few times, but she'd never seen one as big or in as good a condition as this one.

After taking a good warmup flight, Ash's second capture descended towards the ground and took her place in front of her trainer. Her landing made the air around her burn with energy. "Pidgotto!" the bird cried out.

"This is my Pidgeot, Viola. It's one of the first Pokémon I caught when I began my journey in Kanto," Ash introduced his Pidgeot to the Gym Leader with a smirk.

Our hero was looking forward to battling with his old friend again. After he'd left her to protect the flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto before he journeyed the Orange islands, he never met her again until after he returned to Pallet Town after his travels in Unova. She was overjoyed to see her Trainer back; she had waited for a long time to see him again. He then told her that he was off to Kalos and asked her if she would accept him as her Trainer once again and, to Ash's pleasure, she did. Many of the young Pidgey and Pidgeotto of her flock had grown strong and evolved, so she no longer needed to take care of them. Pidgeot said goodbye to her flock and came back to Oak's with her Trainer.

In the stands, Serena gasped at the magnificent Pokémon on the field. It was just beautiful; easily the most beautiful Flying-type she'd ever seen. "Wow," she breathed out in admiration for the Pokémon.

Alexa, though, didn't have the surprised look that the others did. She'd seen all of Ash's Pokémon at Oak's lab and she didn't expect one of the first Pokémon Ash had ever caught to be any less brilliant.

Viola, surprising Ash, quickly took out her camera and snapped a good shot of Pidgeot. 'Perfection!' she thought as she saw the digital picture of the huge Bird Pokémon.

"That's a great Pokémon you've got there, Ash," Viola complemented as she placed her camera back in its cover, attached to her waist. "I've got to say that it's one of the best of the species' that I've ever seen. So, I see why Alexa sees you as such a great Trainer. She has every right to."

Still holding the same confident smile on his face, Ash gazed at his Pidgeot. "Ready to battle once again with me, Pidgeot?" he asked.

The reply of the Bird Pokémon came as she extended her wings and flapped them, sending gusts all around the battlefield. "Pidgooo!" she cooed in excitement.

"Resume the battle," the referee announced, raising both of her hands once again.

Viola took the first move this time as she commanded, "Vivillon. Be careful. That's a strong foe. Let's go with Gust."

Vivillion flew higher and flapped her wings with great force as a huge and strong gust of air was targeted towards her opponent.

Ash, thought, didn't seem to be bothered. He didn't move and neither did he give a command. He just calmly observed his Pidgeot who didn't look worried at all. Soon, the winds of Gust hit Pidgeot and, to Viola's surprise, Pidgeot just knocked it away with a flap of her wing.

"That's impossible," she gasped in disbelief. Even though Pidgeot appeared to be really strong, she couldn't have stood her Vivillon's attack without taking even the slightest bit of damage, could she?

"Pidgeot. Aerial Ace," Ash told his Pokémon as he smirked under his cap.

Without wasting a beat, the Bird Pokémon flew above and had a clear aura surrounding it. At a speed that Vivillon couldn't follow, Pidgeot struck the butterfly with her Aerial Ace and Vivillon crashed into the ground.

The referee stared at the unconscious Vivillon in surprise. She hadn't seen Viola's Vivillon so outmatched in her life. Getting back to her senses, she announced, "Vivillon… is unable to continue. The winner is Pidgeot."

Viola called her Pokémon into its Poké Ball for a rest as she removed her final Poké Ball. "Ash. You've done well to defeat my first 2 Pokémon, but my last Pokémon, won't be as easy," she smiled. "It's my strongest Pokémon." Tossing the ball in the air, the Bug-type specialist called out, "You're up, Scizor."

The Poké Ball snapped open in mid-air and a red bipedal Pokémon materialized on the field.

"Sciizor," the Pokemon roared mightily, readying its wings.

"Alright, Scizor. Use Bullet Punch," Viola instructed to her strongest Pokémon.

The Scizor began to make its way towards Pidgeot at high speeds which made Ash counter. "Let's test its speed, Pidgeot. Quick Attack."

Pidgeot took flight and dashed at full speed at the already-coming Scizor whose claws glowed silver. Scizor began to punch Pidgeot with its steel claws while Pidgeot attacked it with her wings. Both the attacks clashed in the middle and sent dirt all around the field, making everyone cough.

"Blow the dust away, Pidgeot," Ash ordered. "Then, use Steel Wing."

Pidgeot flapped her wings once and all the dust was blown away as the field cleared up. Not long after, her wings glowed bright silver as she flew at Scizor.

Viola countered, making a camera in front of her eyes. "Scizor. Use your Steel Wing, too."

Scizor's wings, too, glowed like Pidgeot and it attempted to use Steel Wing but, before it could, Pidgeot's Steel Wing thrashed in and sent it flying towards the wall. It crashed into it with a loud thud, leaving a hole where the piece of wall once was.

"Sciii zor," the Steel and Bug-type grunted in pain.

Viola grimaced seeing her Scizor in agony. It was her best Pokémon and yet Ash's Pidgeot seemed to be making light work of it. She expected Ash's Pidgoet to be strong, but not this strong. Her Scizor appeared to be no match for the bird.

"Get up and try an X-Scissor attack!" Viola called in panic.

Seeing the look of desperation on its Trainer's face, Scizor got up shakily and prepared for its next attack. Then, making a cross with its claws, the Pincer Pokémon flew up as a golden 'X' was formed by Scizor's claws and, at an amazing speed, it struck Pidgeot on the belly and dealt some damage, but that wasn't enough to faze the Bird Pokémon from Kanto as she yelled her name loudly, stunning the Scizor and forcing it to retreat.

"Pidgeot. Let's finish this. Use Brave Bird," Ash told his Pokémon.

Pidgeot pulled her wings in and dived at her foe like a missile, bursting into flames as she neared Scizor. She pulled her wings out and slammed into it with full force. Pidgeot struck the Scizor who crossed its claws in defence, its feet digging in the ground. With a loud cry of "Pidgoo," Pidgeot increased the power she put in the attack and the Scizor was sent crashing to the ground. The impact made a loud noise as everyone eagerly waited for the result.

On the ground laid Viola's unconscious Scizor with swirls in its eyes. The referee took her cue and declared. "Scizor is unable to battle. The winner is Pidgeot." She raised her arm towards Ash and continued. "As all 3 of the Gym leader's Pokemon are unable to continue, the winner of this Gym match is Ash from Pallet Town."

As soon as she heard the referee, Serena ran down as fast as she could. She sprinted towards Ash and hugged him for the win. "Congratulations, Ash," she spoke softly in his ear, sending waves of excitement down Ash's spine. "You won your first Kalos Gym Badge."

"Thanks, Serena," he spoke into her face, her soft hair covering his mouth and the scent of it almost immobilizing him.

After Serena got out of the hug, Pikachu jumped up Ash's shoulder while Pidgeot gracefully flew to her trainer in joy. Serena seemed a bit skeptical of the majestic bird. After what she'd seen right now, who would blame her? She saw it completely obliterate Viola's Scizor.

On the opposite end, Viola recalled her Pokémon with a small smile on her face. "You battled well, Scizor. Now, rest up," she whispered the comforting words to the Poké Ball in her hand.

With a sorry smile on her face, Alexa walked down to her sister. She knew that, even using her best Pokémon, she was no match for Ash. "Hey, Viola," she spoke, placing a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder.

Ash walked to the center of the field and so did Viola.

"Your Scizor is strong, Viola," the raven-haired Trainer complimented. "Had it been any normal Pidgeot, you would have surely won."

Viola snickered. "Yeah. You and your Pokémon are something else, Ash. Now I see why Alexa talks about you like that."

Ash extended a hand in front and, seeing it, Viola shook his hand for a well fought battle between the two. Seconds later, Viola removed a yellow-coloured, shining piece of metal from her pocket and offered it to Ash.

"This is the Bug Badge, Ash. It's proof of your victory here at the Santalune Gym," Viola explained, beaming at the amazing challenger standing in front of her.

Ash accepted the Badge from Viola as he gazed at it proudly. He had finally won his first Kalos Gym Badge and he was now one step closer to the Kalos League. "Thanks, Alexa," Ash conveyed his gratitude to her as Pikachu and Pidgeot both cooed happily for their Trainer's victory.

* * *

Everyone now stood outside the Gym as Ash and Serena got ready to get going.

"Have you decided which Gym are you going to challenge next, Ash?" Alexa asked the Trainer.

Ash kept a hand to his chin in thought as he looked at the sky. "I think we will travel to Cyllage City next since the Gym in Lumiose City won't open up for quite a while."

Viola excitedly took a few steps forward as she spoke. "On your way, I think you should check out the battle Chateau," she said. "Many strong trainers come there to battle."

"Of course," Ash pumped his fist in the air. "I am always up for battling. The more I battle, the stronger I'll get," he cheered, making Viola and Alexa laugh at his exuberation. "See you later."

Ash and Serena began walking but, suddenly, they heard a voice. "Serena. Take care of Ash, okay?"

Serena turned around to see Alexa smirking at her. During the battle, Alexa tried to hear as much about her time with Ash as possible and Serena had indirectly indicated that she liked Ash and it didn't take Alexa long to catch on that. Alexa gave her confidence that she supported her in that and told her that Ash could be a little clumsy sometimes and he needed a good partner like Serena. In their little conversation, they became quite good friends.

Serena beamed at Alexa as she replied, "I will, Alexa."

* * *

The honey-haired girl dragged Ash along with her as they made their way through the roads of Santalune City. She wanted to make her debut PokéVision video in Santalune City, so she needed to buy her dresses and accessories as well as the camera she would need. Ash, on the other hand, wasn't so fascinated with the idea of shopping. He knew full well how long it would take for the girl to buy her stuff. After all, Serena wasn't the first girl who had asked Ash to go shopping with her. Ash tried to get out of it, but then Serena reminded him of the promise he made on their way to Santalune City and, regrettably, Ash now had to accompany Serena.

"Serena. Can we walk to the mall instead of running there?" Ash questioned as Serena pulled him, tangling her own arms with his and that was the only reason that Ash hadn't complained much. He was enjoying her company. They even left all their Pokémon, including Pikachu, in the Pokémon Center, so, on this trip, they were all alone.

Serena still kept sprinting at the same pace as she answered, "No, Ash. I can't wait to begin shooting the video, so we don't have enough time to walk."

* * *

Finally, after running for a few more minutes, Ash and Serena arrived at the mall which made them both gasp. Serena had seen the Santalune Mall in magazines, but it looked much bigger when she saw it with her own eyes. Even Ash seemed to be a bit surprised by the sheer size of the building and the many stores that could be seen in it.

They strolled in the mall, observing the different things that were being sold. Clothes for people, clothes for Pokemon, books, candies and many other things could be seen lined up in the many different shops.

Serena abruptly stopped when she saw an amazing dress in the nearby store. "Ash. Look at that dress. Isn't it just beautiful?" she asked her travelling partner.

Ash turned his eyes to see the dress and the dress appeared to be beautiful indeed. "It does look good," he complimented, putting a hand in his pocket.

"Do you think it will look good on me?" Serena questioned, looking at the floor and playing with her hair. A blush made its way to her face as she waited for a reply from Ash.

Ash just gazed at Serena as he tried to imagine how the dress would fit on Serena. He wasn't very good at imagining such things, but he tried his best and the only thought that crossed Ash's mind was that Serena would look like a goddess in the pretty pink dress.

Ash staring at her had made her even more nervous. 'What's taking him so long? Doesn't he think that it would look really pretty on me?' she thought to herself.

"Well?" Serena spoke' bringing Ash out of his train of thoughts.

Ash's cheeks went a hue to red in embarrassment as he tried to find the best words. "Ah... I think it will look good on you, Serena," he smiled at the girl who returned it.

"Then, let's go," Serena took Ash's hand in hers and ran towards the shop excitedly.

* * *

Ash waited patiently for Serena to come out of the trial room in the shop. He tapped his foot on the floor as he began to think why Serena was taking so long. "This is why I don't like shopping," he thought out loud.

Just then, Serena walked towards him, getting his attention. "How do I look?" she asked nervously.

Looking at Serena, Ash couldn't believe what he saw. Ash's imagination seemed to have been correct because Serena did look like a goddess. His eyes remained wide open as he gazed at Serena. He might have not have noticed it but, since he'd arrived in Kalos, he was not the person he was before. After he had met Serena, he seemed to be taking notice of her. The guy from Pallet Town, known by all his friends for his denseness, couldn't help but admire a girl. Unbeknownst to him, he was falling for Serena.

After taking in all of Serena's features, Ash breathed out. "You look absolutely… gorgeous."

The compliment coming from Ash made Serena's heartbeat skyrocket. She couldn't believe that Ash actually liked her. Ash didn't know how special a compliment it was for Serena.

"You think so?" asked a deeply blushing Serena while Ash just stupidly nodded his head, unable to speak.

Unable to control her excitement, Serena tackled Ash to the ground, taking the boy completely by surprise. Without another thought, she just cutely rubbed her face back and forth on Ash's chest, who didn't bother to complain. To both of them, the moment felt too right.

"Ahem," the staff of the shop interrupted the two teens, who both instantly stood up flushing.

Next, they went to buy something for Serena's Fennekin to wear. In the many shops they visited, they bought lots of things like a Fennekin cap for Serena and some cute accessories for her Fennekin, as well.

* * *

The two made their way back to the Pokémon Center under the night sky, Ash carrying Serena's bags for her. Serena didn't ask Ash to carry her stuff as she didn't want to trouble him but, instead, Ash himself told her to hand the bag over to him. The little raven-haired trainer from Pallet Town seemed to be turning into a gentleman.

"There's the Pokémon Center," Ash tiredly sighed as he saw the place where he would be able to rest peacefully again.

Serena sensed that Ash was worn out. Without even knowing, she had tired out Ash and she felt guilty for that. She glanced at his face as he took slow steps towards the Pokémon Center.

"Ash," Serena called out to the Trainer.

"What is it, Serena?" Ash asked softly.

"I… I am sorry for putting you through this," she apologized. "I should have gone alone to do my stuff."

Ash stopped to see Serena's head held low in disappointment. He understood what she must be feeling. He walked up to the girl and placed his hand on her chin, raising her innocent face. "You don't have to be sorry, Serena. It's no big deal," he smiled. "Besides, I really enjoyed it. It's the first time that I have found shopping to be this much fun."

Serena looked at Ash with puppy-dog eyes. "Really?"

Ash swung all of the bags into one hand and intertwined his other hand with Serena's. "Of course. I enjoy spending time with you." He looked down with a blush as he continued. "More so when we are alone."

His last statement made Serena flush as she just walked with Ash hand in hand. She just couldn't imagine what kind of an impact she had on Ash in such a short amount of time.

* * *

"Is this a nice pose?" Serena wearing a Fennekin shirt questioned Ash, who shot the Pokevision video for Serena. The video featured Serena and her Fennekin performing in different places and wearing different outfits.

Looking in the digital camera, Ash tilted his head to get a better view of the picture. "It's great Serena. I'll start shooting." He snickered, enjoying his new job. "Hey, Pikachu, can you hold this for me?"

Pikachu nodded as Ash handed him the cover of the camcorder and began shooting the video. As Serena was just in love with Ash's Totodile's dancing abilities, the amber eyed trainer had let him out to perform in the video with Serena. She wanted Froakie to be in the video as well and the Bubble Frog Pokemon appeared to be enjoying his time being a part of the video.

Ash shot Serena and all the Pokemon in various locations as well as in different sort of dresses. In one, Ash's Totodile danced with a suit on and in another one, Froakie wore a T-shirt and a baseball hat. But as expected, Fennekin was the main star wearing accessories that made her look really cute. But Ash just couldn't help but admire how pretty Serena looked.

* * *

After a few hours of hard work making the Pokevision, our heroes sat on the cool grass in one of clear fields in Santalune City.

Serena leaned back on the grass and glanced at Ash. "Did the video come out to be good?"

"Yeah." Ash replied. "Why don't you look at it yourself." He suggested, gesturing for Pikachu to bring the camera to him. |Pikachu, can you bring the camcorder here please?"

"Pika!" answered Pikachu as he got up to get the camera. He started searching for it but unusually, he didn't find it. He looked around the field in search of the camera but still didn't spot the device he was looking for. Suddenly, Pikachu heard something nearby.

"Cham!"

Serena and Ash too heard the sound. Turning to see what the sound was, they saw a mammalian, bipedal Pokémon resembling a young panda with white head and a short puffy tail. There were tufts of fur on top of its head and on its cheeks and it also had black circles around its eyes.

As soon as Serena's gaze drew to the Pancham's hand, she screamed in panic. "Hey there's the camcorder."

This made Ash notice the camcorder in the wild Pokemon's hand as well. "Your entire video is in it." He yelled as he quickly ran after the Pancham who seemed to be running away after mocking them

Serena followed suit and so did their Pokemon. They ran through the woods tailing the small Pokemon. The panda Pokemon kept on running and teasing them all the way. Eventually, they managed to catch up with the Pokemon. They appeared to be near a river, where the Pancham met a dead end. But the Pancham smirked as he looked at all the things that he'd collected around one of the rocks near the water body. His stuff included many plushs, sunglasses, ribbons as well as some other attractive accessories. Most of the things that Pancham had collected could only belong to Pokemon Performers.

"Cham pan" The Pancham uttered as he carefully placed the camcorder on the rock.

"There it is." Ash informed Serena, spotting the thief Pancham.

Fennekin appeared to be enraged by what the Pancham did. She barked at it, clearly not happy that it stole her trainer's camera which held all her work. She wouldn't let some little Pokemon take away what Serena and her worked so hard for.

"Hey, those are all accessories used in Pokemon Showcase." Serena gasped when she saw the amount of things collected by Pancham.

Ash jolted towards the Pancham to get back the camcorder. "Give that back to us Pancham. I won't let you steal away Serena's hard work." He turned to Froakie besides him. "Froakie, let's get it back."

Serena tried thinking of a reason that the Fighting-Type Pokemon might have stolen all the objects as she gazed at it intently. She could only come up with one reason that Pancham would want to get his hands of those accessories : It wanted to perform in Pokemon Showcases. She extended her hand, stopping Ash who seemed ready to get the camera back.

She glanced at the surprised Ash. "Ash, I think this little one likes to perform in front of people. I would like to catch it." She told the raven-haired trainer.

Serena's decision made a grin appear on Ash's face. He pumped his fists in the air. "Sure Serena." He said. "That looks like an awesome Pokemon to start with."

The honey-haired trainer carefully took a few steps towards the wild Pokemon. She didn't want to scare it as she knew what his problem was. He wanted to perform but as it had no trainer, he never got to be in a Pokemon Performance ever and so, it decided to collect stuff and try it out all alone. "Pancham, would you like to perform with me?" Serena bent down to its level and asked the wild Pancham.

The Pancham seemed to be sceptical about the human as it took a few steps backwards. Seeing that the Pancham was scared of her, Serena removed a pair of red sunglasses from her pocket and offered it to the Pokemon. "These are my favourite sunglasses. Do you want them?"

The Pancham still look confused by the human's unusually kind behaviour towards it. But he tried to check the girl out as he moved his hand forward and accepted the glasses. He examined the sunglasses thoroughly. Before it could wear it though, Serena quickly placed them on its head and chuckled at how cute the sunglasses made it look.

"cham?" the Pancham tilted its head.

"Fennekin." Serena called her starter Pokemon who perched herself in her trainer's arms. "Let's battle Pancham."

"Fenne!" The Fire-Type agreed with a bark and a smirk on her face. She looked forward to her first battle outside of training. The Pancham looked strong to her and she wanted to check it out.

The Pancham seemed interested as it challenged her. "Pan cham!"

Serena now took her place behind her Fennkein. Across the field stood Pancham, who appeared to be ready to battle Fennekin.

"Good luck, Serena!" Ash wished the girl luck. On their way to Santalune, Ash had given Serena loads of advice on the best ways to weaken and capture a Pokemon and now was the time he was going to find out if all that advice worked or not.

"Pikachuuu!" Pikachu cheered from Ash shoulder, quite interested in the battle that would soon commence.

Serena took the first move and started the battle confidently. "Fennekin, use Flamethrower."

Fennekin jumped in the air and summoned fire in her mouth. She released a jet of red-orange flames at the wild Pancham. Not wanting to be burned to a crisp, the panda Pokemon outstretched its hands and formed two purple-black chains in both its hands. Both the Pokemon fired their attacks at each other will full force. The Dark Pulse and Flamethrower collided and took each other making a small cloud of smoke in the air.

Pancham took the initiative this time around as he sprinted forwards with glowing fists.

Serena saw the incoming attack and countered. "Fennekin use Scratch."

Fennekin dashed towards her opponent to use her Scratch attack. Both the Pokemon struck each other with their respective attacks doing considerable amounts of damage to each other. But they smirked as they knew that the battle was far from over.

"Hidden Power." Serena ordered with a determined look on her face.

The fox Pokemon obliged and brought forth the power from deep within her soul, forming a blue orb of energy. She threw the Hidden Power at the Pancham who couldn't dodge in time and was thrown into the air. It fell on its back and let out a low grunt of pain.

The opportunity to capture her first Pokemon presented itself and Serena accepted it with both hands. "Flamethrower!" she told her starter Pokemon.

Jumping in the air, Fennekin released a stream of her Flamethrower at the fallen Pancham and inflicted lots of damage on it.

"Use your Pokeball to catch it Serena." Ash suggested calmly. He placed a hand on her shoulder to encourage her.

Serena nodded and removed an empty Pokeball. "Go Pokeball!" She called and tossed the ball at the beaten up Pancham.

The Pokeball made contact with Pancham and sucked the wild Fighting-Type Pokemon with a red flash of light. It shook a few times on the ground and a nervous Serena looked hard at the Pokeball. Finally, to Serena's relief, the Pokeball made a 'ping' sound. The honey-haired girl scurried to the Pokeball and picked it up cautiously with both her hands, staring at it with a grin. She had captured her first Pokemon on her journey and her joy she felt was amazing.

"Ta-da!" she screamed excitedly, holding the Pokeball in her hands gracefully. "A new page of my journey. I caught Pancham!"

Her Fennekin quickly darted towards the blue-eyed Performer, who bent down and petted her. "Thank you Fennekin. Now, with you and Pancham, we will work even harder."

The fox Pokemon happily squealed in her trainer's arms. "Fennekin!"

Serena looked up at Ash, who stood behind her smiled brightly. He was a great inspiration for her. Perhaps, one of the reasons Serena caught Pancham was because she wanted to prove herself as an able trainer to Ash. She didn't want to let Ash down after all the work he put in training her.

"Congratulations Serena!" Ash extended his hand down to Serena and complimented. "You did it. You caught your first Pokemon."

Serena took Ash's hand and held it tightly so that she could get up. Ash pulled her up and they ended up close to each other; so close that they could feel their breaths on their faces. There was no tension between them though as they both laughed happily and soon, their Pokemon joined in the laughter. The laughs of the humans and Pokemon got louder and louder and could be heard reverberating through the woods.

* * *

**A bit longer chapter for me because I have decided to make all the chapters of my Pokemon stories from 6k to 9k words. **

**So, what do you guys think of the romance? How's Amourshipping coming along?**

**Tell me what you think about it as well as any suggestions that you might have for the fic. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Back In Lumiose

**_Back In Lumiose_**

* * *

**_Speeches :_**

"A" – Normal Human Speech

'A' - Thoughts

* * *

With the Santalune City Gym battle behind him, Ash marched through the road on his way to Lumiose City from where he would be leaving for Cyllage City to earn his second Kalos region Gym Badge. He appeared as happy as ever with Pikachu on his shoulder. Along with Ash, Serena too walked happily as she read a pamphlet held in her hands.

The honey-haired teen leaned towards Ash as she started. "Hey Ash." She called. "Have you ever participated in a Rhyhorn race?"

Not stopping his stroll, Ash turned to look at his travelling companion. "No. I have heard of them though. I have participated in a few Pokemon races." He answered, now lost in the memory of when he rode the Ponyta in Kanto, which evolved into Rapidash during the race. It was a fond memory of Ash's that he would never forget. The next time he participated in a race was in Johto where he won an egg which eventually hatched into Phanpy, which evolved into Donphan.

"There is a Rhyhorn race taking place nearby in 2 days. Do you want to participate in it?" she questioned the amber-eyed trainer. With a blush creeping up to her face, she played with her hair nervously. "I can teach you to ride a Rhyorn if you want."

Ash kept a hand in his chin as he thought about the offer. It would be a good break from training and moreover, the idea of Serena teaching him was just an undeniable offer. Without thinking anymore, Ash pumped his fist in the air. "Sure. We could use a little break anyway."

Serena stopped walking as she smiled at the raven-haired trainer. "Great. We should reach the village where the race is taking place by the evening. So I'll have lots of time to teach you."

Ash just smiled back at the Pokemon Performer from vanville Town. "Sounds good."

"Ash Ketchum." A voice from behind the couple called out. "Wait, I have something important to talk to you about."

Ash and Serena stopped in their tracks when they heard the voice. They turned around to see a young man with brown hair and black eyes approaching them. He wore black pants and a blue jacket which was zipped.

Ash appeared to be confused by the stranger. He'd never seen the guy so how did he know his name? "Sorry. But did you call me?" he questioned the brown haired man who walked towards him.

The man gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yes. As I said, I have something important to talk to you about."

"Important?" Ash appeared to be a bit sceptical about the stranger. 'What does he have to talk to me about. I don't even know him.' He thought.

The serious look on Ash's face made the man lightly chuckle. He should've expected such a reaction. He did just approach someone he'd never met and told him that he has something important to talk to him. "Don't worry." He waved a hand at the young man from Pallet. "It's more like I have something to give you. By the way, My name is Jack."

Ash got even more suspicious with the last statement the man just made. "What do you have to give me?" he asked the man still remaining polite and calm.

The boy now identified as Jack opened his backpack and removed something. In his hands was now a silver egg in a glass container that appeared to be glowing. The egg glowed for a moment and then, regained its original silver colour. Jack opened the container and carefully removed the egg out of it, now holding the mysterious egg in both his hands.

Ash, Serena and Pikachu all looked at the glowing egg in awe as well as suspicion. They had never seen a Pokemon egg like the one in front of them. The egg was simply astounding with the silver colour of the egg shining ever so often due to the sunlight falling on it.

Ash stuttered, still keeping his eyes on the egg. "What kind of an egg is it?" he asked in awe.

After a moment of thinking, the black-eyed man lowered his head and offered the egg to Ash. "I want you to take it Ash Ketchum. Please, do not reject it. I can't fail in my mission."

Ash was completely blindsided by the gesture. A strange man just approached him and offered him a mysterious egg. The egg seemed special, there was no doubt in his mind about that. The man in front of him too didn't look evil. But such a thing happening, it just felt too good to be true. There was silence between the group for moments as they all seemed to be in thought. Ash was deciding whether to accept the egg or not, Serena and Pikachu just kept wondering about the Pokemon that would hatch from an egg like that while the stranger prayed that Ash would accept the egg.

Not getting a response, the man looked up at the stunned faces of the two humans and the Electric-Type Pokemon. He then realized that it might have been too straightforward for him to ask Ash to raise the Pokemon from the egg. But that was his job. According to his mission, he was to give the egg to Ash. And that was his only order. So he didn't know what else to say. But soon, he realized it wasn't' the time to think about it now. The egg would be hatching soon and it had to hatch in Ash's care; that much was absolute.

"Will you take care of the egg and raise the Pokemon that would be hatching from it?" he almost begged Ash. The gesture he did surprised both Ash as well as Serena. He knelt down and held the egg in front of his head, which was lowered for Ash.

Quickly, Ash made the man stand up. He smiled at him and spoke. "I'll take it. You didn't have to do that."

Jack felt relief when he Ash said those words and accepted the egg. His mission was finally complete. He'd left home to find the young man who would be the trainer for the Pokemon in the egg a year ago and he got little success until the day he saw Ash jump to save Serena and Snivy.

The man had a grateful smile on his face. "Thank you!" he said bowing his head. "I'll be on my way now. I have some important business to take care off." He removed a Pokeball from his pocket and tossed it in the air. "We'll meet again soon. Good bye." A Salamance came out of Jack's Pokeball and quickly he got on it and the Salamance took flight not long after.

Ash stood at the same place, gazing at the egg and comprehending what had happened in the space of 15 minutes. Jack didn't seem like a bad guy to him. He decided to trust his instincts which seldom let him down.

Serena remained stunned by the quick event that took place right now. "That was … fast." She spoke in surprise.

"Yeah." Ash responded as he turned backwards. "Let's go." He decided to thik about the egg later. It would be a waste of time if he thought about the egg now.

And with that, the duo of humans continued their trek to the Rhyhorn Racing arena.

* * *

Ash saw the posters of the Rhyhorn Race stuck everywhere around the town. Our heroes arrived in Odyssey Village just a few minutes earlier and they decided to have a look around the village. Of course, both Serena and Ash looked forward to the teachings of Rhyhorn racing Ash would be getting from the pretty girl, who seemed to be an expert when it came to Rhyhorn Racing.

After strolling through the village for quite a while, Ash registered himself for the Rhyhorn race that would be taking place the next day. No doubt, he was quite exuberant about the Rhyhorn race, like he always was whenever he tried a new thing. Now, they stood near a field which had several Rhyhorn in it.

"Pick any Rhyhorn that interests you." A young girl told Ash and Serena politely as she showed them the different Rhyhorns grazing in the field.

Ash nodded and gave the Rhyhorn a good look contemplating which one would be the best to race with. "Now which one should I choose?" Ash thought out loud.

He started to approach one of the Rhyhorn from behind but just then Serena yelled in a bit of panic. "Ash, don't do that!" she warned her companion. "If you approach a Rhyhorn from behind, it might panic and run." She smiled at the boy who listened intently and started approaching the Rock-Type from the front. "Do this. Come in from the front and pet it very carefully."

Serena bent down and petted the Rhyhorn with one of her hands. The Rhyhorn squealed showing its pleasure and joy. Ash was surprised by how good Serena was with Rhyhorn. She was getting along with the Rhyhorn as if she'd done it a thousand times.

"That's amazing Serena!" Ash said in awe of Serena's expertize with the Rock Pokemon. "You really know how to tame a Rhyhorn." He added.

"This Rhyhorn seems to be really calm and smart." She commented and looked up at Ash while the Rhyhorn squealed again. "You could pick this one."

Without any hesitation, Ash said. "Whatever you say Serena. Rhyhorn, I choose you!"

"Rhyyy!" The Rhyhorn roared in victory as he stared proudly at Ash and Serena.

"I am impressed. How did you learn so much about Rhyhirn Serena?" Ash questioned.

The compliment made the said trainer blush. "Well, you see." She started. "My mom is a Rhyhorn racer and she taught me how to handle Rhyhorn from a very young age." She concluded.

Soon, Serena started teaching Ash more about Rhyhorn racing in her pink Rhyhorn Racing outfit. The two days Ash and Serena spent training for the Rhyhorn Race were pretty amazing for the two teenage travellers, both having lots of fun. Serena taught Ash how to race with Rhyhorn by sitting ahead of him on the Rhyhorn and they both enjoyed such moments together. Of course, they didn't admit it to each other.

The Rhyhorn race too went great for Ash as he won first place. Sure there weren't many professional riders as the tournament was pretty small but still winning first place in his first try was an excellent achievement and it was all thanks to Serena's hard work over the two days.

The duo were now ready to leave but before they left, Serena wanted to introduce Ash to her mother so here they were in front of the video telephone in Odyssey village's Pokemon Center.

"I am Ash and this is my partner Pikachu." Ash introduced himself with a grin. "Nice to meet you."

Her mother too gave Ash a warm smile. "I am Grace. It's a pleasure." She greeted.

Serena standing next to him cackled. "We are travelling together mom. Isn't that wonderful?" she asked dreamily with a cue of red on her cheeks.

Grace didn't fail to notice her daughter blushing when she said she had decided to travel with Ash. She was Serena's mother after all. She glanced at Ash before speaking. "Take good care of my daughter Ash."

With confidence brimming from his face, Ash agreed. "Of course. That's what friends are for."

After the little conversation that Ash and Grace had, Serena's mother felt that Ash would be a good travelling companion for her daughter since he had experience travelling through various regions and Serena could learn a lot from him. 'He's not that bad. And he's kinda good looking too so…' she thought as she kept her gaze fixed on Ash.

They talked with Serena's mom for quite a while before saying their goodbyes. Both of them now left Odyssey Village to continue what was going to be a long and memorable journey for the two teens.

* * *

It was a nice and warm morning as Ash and Serena finally packed their bags and were now ready to resume their travels. They were very close to Lumiose City, but since it was afternoon, the two had decided to take a break for lunch.

But just when they were about to start walking again, they heard a loud cry coming from behind them. They turned around to check from where the noise came from and they saw the bushes nearby shaking. Steadily and carefully, Ash approached the bushes and what he found shocked him.

An injured bipedal Pokemon struggled to walk as it limped around in a dazed manner. Its body and legs seemed to resemble a long gown and its green hair covered most of its face "It's an injured Ralts." Ash grimaced at the sight of the wounded Pokemon. If there was one thing Ash hated to see, it was someone in pain, especially if it was a Pokemon.

Soon, a few barks could be heard. Ash looked upwards and he saw a group of black hounds running towards them. 'They must have done this to the Ralts.' Ash thought. The Ralts seemed to be in very bad condition. When it heard the Mightyena bark at it, it trembled in fear.

It didn't take long for Ash to realize that the Psychic-type Pokemon needed treatment right away. But the Mightyena would get in their way so he needed to take care of them first. Ash unclipped a Pokeball from hi belt and tossed it up. Out of the Pokeball, Ash's Garchomp materialized with a loud roar.

"Gar Garrr!"

Ash picked up the Ralts in his arms, who struggled to get out of his grasp. Ash realized that the Ralts must believe that the trainer would harm it. The Mightyena must have attacked the poor Ralts and since there were so many of them, the Feeling Pokemon didn't stand much of a chance against them. But Ash knew that the Pokemon was in critical condition and there was no time to think about why it was in such a terrible condition. He had to take it to the Pokemon Center right away and that was exactly what he was going to do.

"Garchomp, use multiple Dragon Pulses to get them away." Ash ordered before turning to Serena who blinked in surprise. "We've got to get this Ralts to the Pokemon Center quickly Serena. Garchomp will take us there faster." The trainer finished and the honey-haired Performer nodded.

Meanwhile, Garchomp did as it was told and fired three back to back Dragon Pulses at the Mightyena. The Mach pokemon was smart enough to identify the biggest Dark-Type as their leader and striking it first so that he wouldn't need to fight all the tens of Mightyena. And he hit the nail on the head as the remaining Mightyena seemed to be intimidated by the Mach Pokemon after their leader went crashing through the ground. As their biggest Mightyena struggled to stand up, it howled once and all its group howled as well. Soon, they all began to retreat and Garchomp's plan succeeded. It wasn't that Garchomp couldn't defeat them all at once, it would be a walk in the park for him but he too saw the Ralts in Ash's arms and had heard his trainer.

As soon as Garchomp finished his attack, Ash jumped on his back and helped Serena and Pikachu up as well. With a determined look on his face, Ash commanded fiercely. "Garchomp, quickly fly to the Lumoise City Pokemon Center."

Obliging, Garchomp jumped into the air and sailed through the skies at high speeds, taking off for Lumiose City which came into sight soon after.

* * *

After only a few short minutes, Garchomp landed right in front of the huge Pokemon Center of Lumiose City. The City was the biggest in Kalos and rightfully, the Pokemon Center appeared to be massive as well.

"You've gotten faster Garchomp. Thanks." Ash thanked his Pokemon. He got down from the Dragon-type's back and so did Serena and Pikachu. Returning Garchomp back to his Pokeball, Ash spoke. "Let's hurry!"

Serena nodded. "Right."

The duo ran in the Pokemon Center and without wasting any time, Ash went straight to Nurse Joy. "Nurse Joy." He called frantically getting the attention of the pink-haired Pokemon Nurse. "Its an injured Pokemon."

Hearing about the injured Pokemon, Nurse Joy quickly glanced at the Ralts. She winced at the condition that Ralts appeared to be in. Quickly, she took the Psychic-Type from Ash's hands into her own arms. "It's in very bad shape." She told Ash in a worried tone. "Wigglytuff, ready a room for an injured Pokemon."

The said Pokemon quickly obeyed and readied a room as the Nurse too went inside with the Ralts. Ash gazed at the door of the Emergency Medication room in concern about the wounded Feeling Pokemon. Serena and Pikachu weren't any less worried about Ralts. It made Serena feel upset when she saw at the state Ash was in. He was completely down, his hat covering his distressed face.

In Ash's mind roamed only one thing : What if Ralts couldn't pull through? Whose fault would it be? Would it be his fault for not getting it to the Pokemon Center quick enough? He brought it to the Pokemon Center as fast as he could but still if anything were to happen to Ralts, he would feel all the guilt for it.

Serena decided to comfort the trainer. She took a few steps closer to Ash and kept a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Ash. It's going to be fine." She said in a soft and reassuring tone.

Ash turned his head to Serena and gave her a weak smile. "I hope so."

* * *

A few minutes passed as Ash waited for Nurse Joy to come out of the treatment room with news about Ralts. Every second seemed like eternity to Ash. He tried to think as positive as possible but he couldn't help but have those negative thoughts in the corner of his mind.

Ash's wait ended as Nurse Joy came out of the Medication room. She walked towards the counter and seeing her, Ash scurried towards her impatiently.

He banged his hands on the counter. "Nurse Joy. How's Ralts?!" He questioned.

The Pokemon Nurse gazed at Ash with serious face for quite a while before finally snickering. "Ralts is going to be okay. It had no internal injuries so the wounds on its body should heal soon."

Hearing her, Ash sighed in relief. "Thanks, Nurse Joy. Can I see it now?"

"Yes you can. Come with me." She said and started walking.

Ash and Serena followed her to the room where Ralts was being kept. They arrived near the room and saw Ralts on the bed though the window. It seemed to be sleeping peacefully with a few bandages on its body. Ash breathed easy now that Ralts appeared to be in better shape than it was when he brought it to the Pokemon Center.

"Thanks again for treating it, Nurse Joy." Ash said.

The Nurse waved a hand in front of her face as she spoke with a chuckle. "There's no need to thank me Ash. You did a great job of bringing it to the Pokemon Center in time. The wounds could have been more troublesome if you would have been a few minutes late."

Ash then suddenly realized something. "Nurse Joy." He called. "Are there any rooms available at the Pokemon Center that we could spend the night in?" he asked, tilting his head. "We need two rooms, one for me and one for Serena." He explained pointing a hand at Serena.

While Ash did that, Serena felt a little upset. She thought that they might be able to stay in the same room. Not that she had any intentions of doing anything with Ash but being with him made her feel happier.

"Ash, we have only one room available." She shook her head in disappointment.

Ash's face fell at that. He was hoping that he would be able to spend the night in the room of the Pokemon Center for once. They had been travelling quite a lot and he was quite comfortable sleeping in the open but something about the soft and comfy bed aroused him. He felt so much like he was home with his mother.

"Ahh.." he groaned disappointingly. "I was-"

Ash was interrupted by the pink-haired Nurse as she spoke again. "But why don't you two share a room?" she asked.

At that statement, Serena twinkled in delight. "That sounds good. It would be much better than sleeping outside, don't you think Ash?" she spoke in excitement of the moment without any control over her words.

The raven-haired trainer thought about Nurse' joy's suggestion for a few moments. "That should do. I never thought about that." He grinned at the two ladies.

"Pika Pika!" exclaimed Pikachu. While Ash was still a bit unaware about his feelings that seemed to be developing for Serena, Pikachu knew his trainer better than anyone. He had realized Serena's crush on Ash as well as the fact that Ash seemed to be slowly falling for her too. So, he would try his best to help his trainer in something the boy wasn't too good at.

* * *

"What are you doing Ash?" Serena questioned Ash, who picked up one of the pillows from the bed.

Ash turned to face Serena, a quizzical look on his face. "I am gonna sleep on the floor so that you could have the bed." He replied blandly.

Serena snickered at the innocent look Ash had on. He looked so cute when he had no clue about what he was doing. But these silly things were a part of Ash and it attracted Serena to him even more. "Why don't you sleep on the bed? It's quite big and I am sure we both can fit in it comfortably?" she requested with puppy dog eyes.

"Are you sure about that?" Ash inquired.

Serena approached Ash with a smile. Coming closer, she gently placed her lips on his cheek.

The gesture made Ash's face go deep crimson and Serena blushed as well.

Ash was immobilized by Serena's sudden gesture. He didn't expect Serena to kiss her, She kissed her on the cheek which wasn't such a bug deal as there had been girls who had kissed him before like Melody and Bianca or Latias or whoever that was. But the feeling of Serena's soft lips on his cheeks gave him indescribable pleasure.

Serena enjoyed the feeling as well. She'd been planning to do something like this but never got a chance to show her feelings to Ash. She was afraid that Ash wouldn't return her feelings so she never directly confessed to Ash and decided to instead drop subtle hints. She hoped that Ash would slowly return her feelings.

"What… What was that for?" he asked as his face flushed. "Why'd you do that?"

Serena grinned as she took one of Ash's hands in her own. "That was what you thought it was." She said intertwining her hands with Ash's and dragging him to the bed.

Ash didn't speak a word. He appeared to be too embarrassed too. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy it but it was just too sudden and he didn't know how to react.

Serena took one side of the bed while Ash hesitantly laid his body on the other.

"Goodnight Ash." Serena wished our young hero.

Ash buried his face in the blanket as he responded. "Goodnight!"

Pikachu, who saw the entire scene unfold from the corner of his eyes smirked. He would have lots to tease his best friend about now. And he couldn't wait to tell this to all his friends whenever he would meet them.

* * *

The next day, Ash woke up early and quickly took a shower before Serena or Pikachu even woke up. He got dressed and made his way to the ground near the Pokemon Center, the morning still new.

Standing in the field, Ash threw the Pokeballs attached to his belt in the air. The 5 Pokeballs snapped open and out of them came Froakie, Fletchling, Garchomp, Totodile and Buisel.

"Good morning guy!" Ash greeted his team of Pokemon, who all cried their respective cries in acknowledgement. "It's time to start a new training session." He explained to his Pokemon that he caught in different regions.

Froakie appeared to be looking around for something as he turned his head in different directions. Ash noticed Froakie's behaviour and tittered. "Are you searching for Pikachu, Froakie?"

The blue frog Pokemon nodded his head.

"He was asleep so I decided to give him a break for today. He has been working quite hard to become more powerful." He looked towards the sky as if in thought. "You know, he did lose a battle that he should have won quite easily in the Unova League." He told the Water-type Pokemon of Kalos.

His statement had gotten everyone's attention as they gazed at their trainer. Noticing them look at him like that, Ash realized that they wanted to know what happened in the League battle.

"So you want to know how he lost?" hIs Pokemon nodded at his question.

"In the top 8 of the Unova League, I faced a guy named Cameron. His last Pokemon was a Riolu which evolved into a Lucario during our battle." He started explaining. "And even though Pikachu had much more experience than Cameron's Lucario, he lost. Now that I think about it, I think it was my fault. I put too much of a burden on Pikachu because I didn't use all my Pokemon like I should have. And most of my team was defeated mostly because they were inexperienced. I still can't believe that I lost to a guy who was foolish enough to only bring 5 Pokemon in a full 6-on-6 Pokemon battle. But I promise that something like that won't happen from now. We will win the Kalos League." He told them with pride.

All his Pokemon stood with respect for their trainer. They understood that Ash had made a mistake but he was brave enough to acknowledge it and move on instead of throwing all the blame on his Pokemon for losing the battle. After a few moments they all roared and without any further delays, they got back to training.

* * *

The Lumiose City Pokemon Center seemed to be as busy as always as Ash, Serena and Pikachu waited for Nurse Joy to give a final say on Ralts' condition. After waiting for a while, Nurse Joy finally strode out of the room with Ralts in her arms.

She smiled at our heroes, stopping right in front of them. "Ralts has made a great recovery and you can take it back with you now."

Ash grinned at that. "So Ralts, where is your home?" Ash asked leaning towards the Psychic-Type Pokemon.

The Ralts' face thought fell as it looked down at the ground. Nurse Joy abruptly spoke up "You mean this Ralts doesn't belong you to?" she questioned, surprised by the fact that the Pokemon was wild.

Ash shook his head. "No Nurse joy. I found it on the way to Lumiose City where it was being attacked by a bunch of Mightyena." He told her.

"But Ash, I don't think that there are any Pokemon of the Ralts line living anywhere near Lumiose City." The Nurse explained with a serious expression on her pretty face.

Ash gazed at Ralts as in thought about the best thing to do for it. Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Hey!" he called out excitedly. "Why don't you stay here with nurse Joy?"

The reaction Ash got from Ralts wasn't the one he expected. According to his mental calculations, Ralts should've been happy to stay with Nurse Joy but it seemed to have gotten even sadder.

Nurse joy clicked her fingers as she got the perfect idea. "Why don't you take Ralts along with you Ash?" she suggested. "I am sure it would be an excellent Pokemon for your team."

This made Ralts' happier as it looked up and squealed happily. "Raltsss!"

Ash glanced seriously at Ralts for a moment before a huge grin spread across his face. A new pokemon was always welcomed to his team. He was a trainer after all and catching Pokemon was the thing trainer did. A Ralts, a Psychi-type , A type which he hadn't trained before. Just the thought of raising a different Pokemon made him excited.

"Do you want to come along with me Ralts?" Ash questioned the Pokemon. The reply of the Psychic-type came when it jumped from nurse Joy's arms and clutched onto Ash's body, burying its head in Ash's chest.

"Rall Ral!" The Psychic-type nodded in agreement and rubbed its head on Ash's chest affectionately.

"Pika pi pi!" Pikachu greeted the Ralts from atop Ash's shoulder.

"So I guess I it's settled then." The Nurse joy spoke with a huge smile.

Removing an empty Pokeball from his belt, Ash showed it to Ralts. "Ralts, this is a Pokeball. It will be your new home. So do you want to go inside it?" Ash asked.

The Ralts appeared to be a little scared of the Pokeball as it moved retreated a little and examined the ball thoroughly. It wanted to check the Pokeball so it tapped on it, but to its surprise the Pokeball opened and sucked it inside a red flash. The Pokeball lightly shook a couple of times in Ash's hands before making a 'ping' noise.

"I caught a Ralts!" Ash exclaimed and extended his hand, not bothering to do anything else in public.

"Pi Pikachu!"

Serena and Nurse joy smiled at Ash and Pikachu's small celebration for catching a new Pokemon.

* * *

**How have you been? It's been quite a long time since I last updated. I know that. (Just kidding, I updated this story last Friday).**

**Anyways, how was the chapter? The second half of the chapter(from where Ash encountered Ralts) might not be up to the quality that I would have liked it to be. I didn't have enough time to go through that part thoroughly. You see, I would be studying the whole day tomorrow and the next couple of weeks are gonna be really busy for me so I wanted to update this today.**

**And I have started the second chapter of 'A Legend Awakened' but it still might be a while before I release that chapter since I am going to be busy the next few days.**

**Tell me what you thought about the chapter and as always, thanks for reading.**


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